Droopy Fir Tree

Lorain · 28th March 2007, 09:26 AM

Have a fir tree that the top and the branches are all drooping way down> anyone know what could be the problem? there are no signs of dead needles and it has been like this since last summer

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Tim Craig · 28th March 2007, 02:19 PM

Hi Lorain,

Whereabouts are you? Geographically.

Do you know what species of fir tree it is?
There are some firs that droop naturally such as Brewer spruce and Deodar cedar

How tall is it?

Any idea what age it is?

Kevin · 28th March 2007, 03:13 PM

We see that here in different areas with a micro burst.
Usually more than one tree though.

Lorain · 30th March 2007, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Craig

Hi Lorain,

Whereabouts are you? Geographically.

Do you know what species of fir tree it is?
There are some firs that droop naturally such as Brewer spruce and Deodar cedar

How tall is it?

Any idea what age it is?

[i] am new to this so I don't khow if you goy my reply---we live in washington state and we have our driveway lined with these trees and it si about 30 ft. high and this is the only one that looks tired lol==so i was wondering if is sick and needs to be removed. AND MY WAS I SURPRISED TO HEAR FROM SOMEONE SO FAR AWAY! its 8:56 a,m. here[ thanks for responding===[HAVE A GREAT DAY OR NIGHT OR WHATEVER]

Kevin · 31st March 2007, 06:10 AM

Any chance it took an ice or snow load over the winter and didn't recover?

Ekka · 31st March 2007, 02:03 PM

We dont have many of them here but I suspect the branches could be cracked like excessively loaded.

Maybe an inspection is in order to see if all is OK where the branches meet the trunk.

Can you get some pictures loaded up here?

And yes it's unusual that only one out of a row is affected.

Sean Freeman · 1st April 2007, 06:18 AM

As others have said photos would be a real help in the ID of both the tree, then the possible cause of your tree's droop.

It could be environmental, loading from winter snow, low moisture levels in the soil, excessive moisture levels in the soil.

It could also be a pathogen, there are lots to choose from but here's a couple that produce the kind of drooping you describe Dwarfmistletoe, which you should be able to detect with close inspection see the attached leaflet (it affects a number of tree species, not just Douglas Firs):

dougfirdm.pdf

It could also be Balsam Woolly Adelgid, a bit of a mouthfull to say, see attached leaflet:

bwa.pdf

Without more info on the tree species its all quess work I'm afraid.

The best advice I can give you is to go to this web page http://www.isa-arbor.com/findArborist/findarborist.aspx enter your state id in the first search box and hit search that will give you contacts for all the ISA Certified Arborists in Washington State and you can pick the one closest to you to come out and give you an on site assessment of your trees.

Sean

mdvaden · 6th April 2007, 09:02 AM

I'm going to take a wild guess that you are not too familiar with our tree ID in the Pacific northwest, and that you are using "fir" in a general sense, possibly referring to needle bearing evergreens with small needles.

There is a western hemlock in Oregon and Washington, that has a drooped-over leader at almost all times, and limbs that sag or droop a bit.

Could it be that tree - soft texture foliage?

Deodar cedar is not a native, but often has droopy looking limbs.

How long are the needles? Any cones on the ground? How big? Any scales of cones on the ground?

28th March 2007, 09:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
Lorain I'm new here so be nice Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 2	Droopy Fir Tree Have a fir tree that the top and the branches are all drooping way down> anyone know what could be the problem? there are no signs of dead needles and it has been like this since last summer :

31st March 2007, 02:03 PM	#6 (permalink)
Ekka Eric Frei Administrator - Brisbane L5 (Dip) Hort Cert III Arb + some Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 6,868	We dont have many of them here but I suspect the branches could be cracked like excessively loaded. Maybe an inspection is in order to see if all is OK where the branches meet the trunk. Can you get some pictures loaded up here? And yes it's unusual that only one out of a row is affected. __________________ Remember to use the "search" function, if you have answers/questions post them so everyone can benefit. Free Tree and Green Industry Link Directory Qualified Brisbane Tree Lopping Brisbane Tree Care, Consultations and Arborist Reports Forum Sponsors

6th April 2007, 09:02 AM	#8 (permalink)
mdvaden Over mature heritage tree Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Oregon Posts: 564	I'm going to take a wild guess that you are not too familiar with our tree ID in the Pacific northwest, and that you are using "fir" in a general sense, possibly referring to needle bearing evergreens with small needles. There is a western hemlock in Oregon and Washington, that has a drooped-over leader at almost all times, and limbs that sag or droop a bit. Could it be that tree - soft texture foliage? Deodar cedar is not a native, but often has droopy looking limbs. How long are the needles? Any cones on the ground? How big? Any scales of cones on the ground? __________________ ____________________________________ Grove of Redwood TITANS Oregon BIGOOT trap

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28th March 2007, 02:19 PM	#2 (permalink)
Tim Craig Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Posts: 94	Hi Lorain, Whereabouts are you? Geographically. Do you know what species of fir tree it is? There are some firs that droop naturally such as Brewer spruce and Deodar cedar How tall is it? Any idea what age it is?

28th March 2007, 03:13 PM	#3 (permalink)
Kevin Sappling Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 19	We see that here in different areas with a micro burst. Usually more than one tree though.

31st March 2007, 06:10 AM	#5 (permalink)
Kevin Sappling Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 19	Any chance it took an ice or snow load over the winter and didn't recover?

1st April 2007, 06:18 AM	#7 (permalink)
Sean Freeman PDF King & Arborist Extrodinaire Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Townsville Nth Queensland & Gold Coast Sth Queensland Posts: 1,645	As others have said photos would be a real help in the ID of both the tree, then the possible cause of your tree's droop. It could be environmental, loading from winter snow, low moisture levels in the soil, excessive moisture levels in the soil. It could also be a pathogen, there are lots to choose from but here's a couple that produce the kind of drooping you describe Dwarfmistletoe, which you should be able to detect with close inspection see the attached leaflet (it affects a number of tree species, not just Douglas Firs): dougfirdm.pdf It could also be Balsam Woolly Adelgid, a bit of a mouthfull to say, see attached leaflet: bwa.pdf Without more info on the tree species its all quess work I'm afraid. The best advice I can give you is to go to this web page http://www.isa-arbor.com/findArborist/findarborist.aspx enter your state id in the first search box and hit search that will give you contacts for all the ISA Certified Arborists in Washington State and you can pick the one closest to you to come out and give you an on site assessment of your trees. Sean