Dead Sawtooths

[Bowkl]

Guys I have 9 sawtooth trees that all died over the winter. They did not leaf back out this spring. These are trees that are 6 or 7 years old and where fine last summer. I pushed them over last weekend with the FIL and they dead all the way to the roots. They are planted around a foodplot with other sawtooths and the others are all good. Any one have anything like this happen or any ideas?

 

[Podad]

Drought has killed or is in the process of killing many trees here in Ga. the pines are hardest hit

 

[Bowkl]

I really dont think it was lack of rain. I am in extreme south Alabama and it got dry last fall but we were lucky and not nearly as dry as areas to our north.

 

[OkieKubota]

How did the roots look...I have heard of the roots being eaten by voles...

 

[Bowkl]

Okie I will look at the roots more closely next time I am at the farm. I didnt notice and damage to the roots when I was pushing them up. These trees are in soil that gets pretty wet in the winter and early spring but this year was not nearly as wet as they have experienced before so I dont think it was from drought or wet feet.

 

[lakngolf]

I have a few small ones brown and down but the older ones seem fine. Strange that some side by side died. But it did get dry last early fall!!

 

[Chestnut Valley Farms]

Wow 7 yr old tree shouldn't die back all the way to the roots very easily..

 

[buckdeer1]

I had 4-5 do that a year or so ago.Forester came out and said it was canker.They said they get weak and die.You can cut and look to see if the outside ring looks dead except for a small area or could be the whole ring.They took samples and sent to state lab to make sure

 

[Bowkl]

I have found a couple more sawtooths dead yesterday. They are sprouting back at the ground. Would canker trees still sprout back?

 

[buckdeer1]

Yes they can sprout as the tree only dies back to where the nutrients were shut off going up the tree

 

[Bowkl]

I guess it might be canker. I found several more that have died in the top but still have some limbs with green leaves. These are also all sprouting back with many small sprouts either at ground level or up the base of the tree. Some of these trees are 7 years old and 20 ft plus tall and just started having acorns the last couple of years. Really frustrating.