My neighbor has a sugar maple I'd estimate to be 25 feet tall. I have a red oak that was planted approximately 15 feet to the north of his sugar maple. The red oak is approx. 20 feet tall. The crowns of both trees were always slightly thinner on the sides facing one another, but until this year both seemed healthy.
Last year I noticed a dead branch or two on the sugar maple on the side facing the red oak. I chalked it up to the branch being on the north side of the maple. This year, the entire north half of the crown, which faces the oak, has no leaves.
My question is, should I suspect some sort of disease? Competition? Should I be worried if it is a disease as I have two sugar maples on my lot that are spectacular trees? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks.
Last year I noticed a dead branch or two on the sugar maple on the side facing the red oak. I chalked it up to the branch being on the north side of the maple. This year, the entire north half of the crown, which faces the oak, has no leaves.
My question is, should I suspect some sort of disease? Competition? Should I be worried if it is a disease as I have two sugar maples on my lot that are spectacular trees? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks.