On another subject, I've noticed more dieback than usual on the tips (top 5 - 10') of cedars around these parts - has anyone else? Do you know what is causing it (drought, disease, environmental? Has anyone had experience with cutting them out (i.e. do they grow back healthy or continue to die further down)? I think I've used my allotment of questions this week! Such a breadth of knowledge and experience on this wonderful forum. Hope to contribute with some answers soon...
Can't say what you are seeing on those there but the species does respond to moisture deficits by 'compartmentalizing', the result being a dead uppermost top.
quite likely to be response to long wet winters and enduring summer droughts. look for Birch with similiar damage nearby for an indicator.
Cedars are only native to the Mediterranean and the Himalaya . . . if your tree is a native one, it isn't a cedar. Some photos to show what you have, and what the symptoms are, would help.
Referred to around here as the Western Red cedar (Thuja plicata), I suppose it is more correctly in the cypress family Cupressaceae? Anyway, I don't have a photo, but the dieback is from the tip of the tree downward while the rest of the tree looks fine. Drought may well be the answer, I thought it might be a blight or viral.
there is a blight that affects Western red cedar known as Kethia blight. it will show itself via a small black dot on individual leaf scales, usually during wet and warm weather. In nursery or field grown plants it is found during hot weather and use of overhead irrigation. I would still lean towards environmental issues such as long dry spells in summer.
