Dawn redwood bark - what is going on?

[coh]

Anyone seen this kind of issue on any of their trees? Does it look like a fungal problem?

To summarize, I have a number of dawn redwoods that I acquired for a group planting several years ago. A couple of them were planted in the ground to develop larger trunks. One of them started exhibiting this strange behavior last winter and it is doing it again this fall. The pictures below show what is happening.

Basically, what initially appears to be healthy bark will become dark and peel away from the trunk, leaving behind a spongy later that could be described as brown foam. In these areas there are healthy looking buds (these photos are from this past April). In the areas that were affected by this, the growth this season was normal and appeared healthy. But the process is repeating again this fall.

First photo is a larger view showing how the bark peels away, leaving the brown spongy layer.



Second pic shows a close-up of the spongy stuff and a healthy bud within the area.



This shows that if you scratch through the spongy layer, you find healthy cambium below.



Anyone ever seen anything like this on their trees? I sent these pics to Bill V in the spring and he said he hadn't seen this before.

Thanks for any thoughts,

Chris

 

[johng]

Not a clue...would it possible to take a sample your county extension office??

 

[just.wing.it]

That's just weird. Never seen that before. Sry.

 

[sorce]

Awesome!

Sorce

 

[GrimLore]

Nectria canker in spore stage would be my best guess... wish I knew treatment but I don't - highly suggest you talk to a cooperative as John said. I doubt it will kill the tree but it can spread to others. Take a deep breath and make some calls - could be a simple solution.

Grimmy

 

[coh]

Bumping to see if anyone else has ever seen this kind of thing.

Grim, no need to take a deep breath! I've been watching this for about a year now, there has been no progression to other trees (including dawn redwood). I looked up the canker you suggested and it doesn't appear to be a good match, as there do not appear to be any fruiting bodies, nothing ever showed up on the bark surface. I suppose it could be a different type of canker or fungus, but whatever it is doesn't appear to be lethal to the tree, just disfiguring (so far).

Anyway, I have contacted the coop and they requested photos, so I sent those along. Will report back if they have anything useful to offer.

Thanks all,

Chris

 

[lieuz]

Anyone ever seen anything like this on their trees?

My dawn redwood does this too. However, I notice this stuff on the newer growths, I do not see it else where on established old wood. I really don't know what the cause is; but, if I were to make up a reason from my observation....I'd chalk it up as a layer of possible protection for younger growths. This goes without saying but newer growth is really fleshy and then they harden off. I guess this is the way dawn redwoods do it? I too have been monitoring my dawn redwood and nothing bad became of it. That stuff did fall off after a year of growth.

 

[coh]

My dawn redwood does this too. However, I notice this stuff on the newer growths, I do not see it else where on established old wood. I really don't know what the cause is; but, if I were to make up a reason from my observation....I'd chalk it up as a layer of possible protection for younger growths. This goes without saying but newer growth is really fleshy and then they harden off. I guess this is the way dawn redwoods do it? I too have been monitoring my dawn redwood and nothing bad became of it. That stuff did fall off after a year of growth.

Thanks for your observation and for letting me know that there are other cases of this out there! I don't think "this is the way dawn redwoods do it", at least not all of them. I have a bunch of other dawn redwoods of roughly similar size and age (7 or 9, can't remember) that I'm growing out for use in the group planting, and this is the only one that has exhibited this issue. So perhaps it's something that just happens to some dawn redwoods and is within the range of "normal" for the species. Problem is, it's not really very attractive and one of the things I like about dawn redwood forests is the winter appearance. Having one tree looking like this will have a negative impact even if it doesn't hurt the tree.

The cooperative person was not helpful...basically said she's never seen it and sent me a list of arborists. Now I remember why I don't usually bother to contact them.

Chris

 

[lieuz]

Thanks for your observation and for letting me know that there are other cases of this out there! I don't think "this is the way dawn redwoods do it", at least not all of them.

Gave it my best shot. I agree it's not attractive as well. The mystery must be solved!

 

[LanceMac10]

Hey Chris! Here is one I've had for close to 5 years now. I've got a couple more layin' around too...

Never seen anything like what your photo's depict. Scary lookin'!!!
Funeral pyre time? I would be afraid of it spreading.
A shame your co-op seems "befuddled"
Still....maybe best to dispose of it. Bit of a hassle every spring with fungal "antidote" applications and such....
Good luck!

 

[sorce]

thoughts

Where did these come from?

I found this picture that looks like yours....
S.O.D. sudden oak death.....Phytophthora
Hitting California.

The picture is an oak.....but they've found it on redwoods too.
Maybe it is not as lethal to redwoods?

http://susanfreinkel.com/articles_IfAllTheTreesFal.html

Maybe it isn't spreading because the others are treated?

I'd toss it!
I want to hear and see more of the future planting!

Sorce

 

[coh]

View attachment 89367 View attachment 89368 View attachment 89369

Hey Chris! Here is one I've had for close to 5 years now. I've got a couple more layin' around too...

Never seen anything like what your photo's depict. Scary lookin'!!!
Funeral pyre time? I would be afraid of it spreading.
A shame your co-op seems "befuddled"
Still....maybe best to dispose of it. Bit of a hassle every spring with fungal "antidote" applications and such....
Good luck!

Lance, any chance you can take a close-up pic of the area just above where the main trunk splits into 2 pieces? The left piece looks "shaggy" kind of like what I get on my trees, but I can't tell what is going on without a close-up.

I haven't tried using fungicides on this tree yet, will probably give it a shot this upcoming season and see what happens. I have no issue with treating it if required, I already treat pines on a regular basis anyway.

Chris

 

[coh]

Where did these come from?

I found this picture that looks like yours....
S.O.D. sudden oak death.....Phytophthora
Hitting California.

The picture is an oak.....but they've found it on redwoods too.
Maybe it is not as lethal to redwoods?

http://susanfreinkel.com/articles_IfAllTheTreesFal.html

Maybe it isn't spreading because the others are treated?

I'd toss it!
I want to hear and see more of the future planting!

Sorce

None of the other redwoods have been treated.

Read through the info on sudden oak death (and also the related chestnut blight). Symptoms don't really seem to match. There is no evidence at any time of fungal fruiting bodies or spores, oozing, etc. So I don't know...the one thing I have thought of is that the last 2 winters have been extremely cold and this first started showing up in the late winter/early spring after the first cold winter (2013-14). So initially I thought it was damage from the cold. But that doesn't really explain why the problem is recurring now, we haven't had any really cold weather yet.

Maybe this winter will reveal some more clues. The other trees destined for the group were planted out this spring, so they're about to go through their first winter outdoors/in the ground. Should be interesting to see what happens...

 

[LanceMac10]

Hey Chris, here is a sequence of shots related to the area you mentioned. It seems to be a condition reminicient of your problem.
Not quite as pronounced as your photos......Could this be a stage of bark maturation?
I have not noticed any symptoms related to fungal issues, though....
The last photo shows the "dust" residue on my finger after a quick rub...of the tree, that is......hehe

 

[coh]

Lance, that is EXACTLY what is going on with mine. Thanks for posting the close-up.

Has this been happening for a while (several years)? As I said earlier, maybe it is within the range of "normal" for this species, but if there is one tree in a group planting that looks like this, it's a big negative as it's kind of ugly.

Chris

 

[LanceMac10]

I've only noticed it on areas with "newish" growth. Over the years, these areas have "matured"....or something like that.
I just attributed it to the plants growth habit, I guess...
And I usually notice it towards the top of the tree and a little bit out on the branches.

Hope any information I shared can be of use!
In a decade, maybe I can start growing some actual branching!!
Good luck!

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Definitely not a sign of branch maturation. I've got a couple planted in my yard that are over 15 feet tall and they've never shown signs of this. I am very curious to see what's going on...

 

[LanceMac10]

Here is a shot from a couple weeks ago. I still think that in areas of rapid growth, that growth seems a little "spongy" or "corky-like". I suspect this area will "bark up" this summer. Any change in your tree?

 

[Guy Vitale]

I've seen this on my Dawn Redwoods, I think it mostly occurs where the thicker flaky bark just peels off exposing immature bark beneath it. Without being completely sure, I believe this is a normal growth habit for Dawn Redwoods and never seen negative effects from it.

 

[coh]

No change in mine, which is still dormant/in storage. If I have time, I'll take it to the county co-op to see what they think...but based on their response to the photos I sent, I suspect it will be a waste of time.

Nice to know others are seeing the same thing and that it doesn't seem to be a disease. Still unsightly, though, especially if there is only one tree in a group planting that is doing it.