I have read what has been posted on the red maple mold. My red maple approx 30' has a silvery mold on the leaves which did not concern me, after reading the different threads posted. Now I notice that 20% of its leaves have now fallen. This tree is encroaching approx 12 ' away from a healthy 40' oak, should it be removed so the oak can fully grow or should I try and save the red maple? My neighbour's red maple is doing he same thing. Another neighbour approx 1 acre away has the same red maple but no issues? What are your thoughts?
In my experience, this kind of thing is relatively superficial -- it look terrible and causes leaf-drop and sets the plant back a bit, but next season the tree should bounce back nicely. One thing you might do is rake up all the fallen leaves -- including the relatively healthy ones -- and either burn them or at least take them to some remote part of your property, so the fungus doesn't have a winter refuge anywhere near the tree. It doesn't sound like the maple will interfere with the taller oak. Maybe the other way around -- yet this is how nature does things in ordinary forest situations. This is a personal judgment, but unless the plants are REALLY crowding each other, I prefer to let things go as they will.
