We had three spruce trees along the backyard fence line offering a sense of privacy from the neighbors.
Then we had two… (Read more about that in Spruce Down 🙁 )
And then came this very wet and windy winter. We had been having recent trouble with the swale area and the water wasn’t flowing down the center of the channel as well as it had in the past, making the berm holding the spruces soggier and less defined than normal. That combined with full grown spruce trees and their shallow roots doesn’t make for a good mix in high winds.
The first storm caused the tree to start rocking and left the tree leaning a bit. My husband was none too happy I was out there.
The next windstorm caused it to lean a bit more and we were sure it was going to come down and take out something else with it.
When it didn’t, we were hopeful maybe we could get it staked and it could survive. But of course, we didn’t account for the power lines and the need to stake into the neighbors yard. In the face of a third powerful wind and rain storm, we called the tree guys to come and take it down before it did any damage. I usually like to be home when they do things like this, but it was an emergency and they came while I was gone. So no pictures.
This is what we have now. A bit of the spooky tree look. The remaining spruce is also none too healthy from what is likely cytospora canker disease.
Cytospora canker is a disease of mature spruce trees. The damage usually starts on the lower branches and moves up the over many years. Spruces that are planted too close together (check) and under stress from drought (check), wet roots (check), insect damage, nutrient imbalance, and physical damage to branches, trunks, or roots are most susceptible.
There is no treatment, other than removing the dead branches, ultimately the tree, and not planting another spruce in the same area. I’ve seen many spruces being taken down around the neighborhood, and very few truly healthy looking specimens remaining. Add that to the list of tree diseases that have ravaged urban trees.
So what to do now? This is a great opportunity to fix things up in a neglected area and add some new plantings that will work better in the current conditions. The third tree will be coming down this week and I have some ideas in mind for the area. I’m actually excited for the the new look! I’ll let you know.
Remembering better times…
So sad, but on the other hand it’s an opportunity to plant something new!