Hello .... we're looking for advice as to what might be happening with the cedars in our backyard. We have a row of 12 cedar trees at the back of our yard and have noticed that their bark is turning black. It appears to start at the base of the tree and goes upward. A few of the tree trunks are completely covered and others are just starting. (I've included a few pictures to assist in identification. FYI: I've pulled off some bark for the second picture. The 3rd picture shows how black one of the tree's trunk is in contrast to the one next to it.) History: We had pruned them quite extensively last year as they were growing too tall for the neighbourhood. We also put up a cement fence a few years ago (the tree trunks are on the north side of the fence). Does anyone have any suggestions as to what could be causing the bark to turn black, even though there is new growth on the trees this spring. We're wondering if this could be a disease, trauma from last spring's pruning, or the fact that they no longer have direct sunlight on their trunks? Is there anything we can do to save them? We would greatly appreciate any help and advice on this? Kindest Regards, Kj
Thuja plicata (Western Redcedar). The bark colour is fairly normal for that; I'd not worry about it, as long as the foliage growth is good. PS cedar foliage and cone for comparison:
