Dying redwood trees

SuzyG35

I've been trying to help a friend with his landscaping. He is remodeling his home. It's a corner lot. Along the side fence line parallel to the construction is a row of mature redwoods (sempervirens) probably at least 40 years old. This is in the Central Valley of California.

Throughout this construction, which began in mid-July, I have been fighting with both contractor and yard service person to keep the sprinklers operational wherever possible. I've been hand-watering the rest. I've lost track of how many times the whole system has been unplugged or shut down. The yard service person assured me that the trees along the fence line were being watered, but in fact they were not. I didn't realize this until they had been without water for about six weeks, including several strings of multiple days of triple digit temperatures. I began watering and soaking as I could, which is difficult because the soil is hardpan, and it is further compacted by the construction work. If I leave the hose on low to soak in, the water runs off into the street and the city gets upset and dishes out fines.

In spite of my efforts, the top several feet of two of the redwoods appear to be dying. One is gray and the other is graying.

The construction has 2-3 more weeks to go. The weather is getting cooler, which helps. Still, is there anything I can do to help these poor trees? Is there any possibility that they will just drop the dead needles and green out again in the spring? I don't even want to think about topping them, but if the top section is truly dead, is that what I'll have to do? What would you recommend? I would really appreciate any advice you could give me. Thank you!

kiwi_tree_steve

PICS would help

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"You have to feel and touch a tree" Shigo