I have 2 mature hinoki cypress about 20 ft tall. Last year I cut back about about 2 ft off the top and some from a few branches--about 5 percent total off. This year I'm noticing the needles/branches closest to the trunk turning brown/dying off. Is this a fungal disease??--I did not bother sealing off the cut off areas when I pruned! I am worried that it is dying from the inside. Eighty percent off the growth is still green. Can I do something to halt this browning? --or is this normal. I appreciate the advice.
