Have I killed my Red Maple?

16 years ago

Last autumn we planted a red maple and an ash at the back of our lot, which has a very high water table (basically it's a bog). We chose those trees because they were recommended for those conditions.

This spring the ash came back beautifully but there is not a single leaf on the maple, although the wood doesn't seem to have obvious cold damage.

Is the fact that there are no leaves a definite indication that it is dead, or could there still be hope? It would be such a shame because it was a lovely specimen. Is there something we can do to tell if it's really dead? And if it's not, is there something we can do to help it?

If it died, it would be nice to know if it was the high water table that killed it, so we don't lose another when we replace it. There are red maples that are already established growing nearby, but we have tried cedars in this spot to no success. Should I stick with ash?

Any advice much appreciated!!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (2)

jcmaple
16 years ago
The way to tell if a tree is dead is scrape a little bit of bark away from a twig. If it's green then it's still alive. Also if it's really brittle and breaks and is brown then it's dead. Red maples, (is it a red lace leaf?) usually turn brown when they're dead. If it is still alive and showing green under the bark then I would recommend moving it out of the water and see if it bounces back.
If you start at the top of a branch and it seems dead when you scratch back a little bark then keep going down the branch. Some parts might be dead and others might not. IF there's green under the bark closer down the tree then it might be worth trying to save.
If Ash seem to do well in that area then I would keep with the ash.
quirkybec
Original Author
16 years ago
Hi jcmaple, thanks for replying. My husband scraped a little bark off and it was green on the branches. It's a reasonable size tree (9-10ft) so not that easy to move. If there are no leaves this season but it's still alive, is there any chance that it will come back next season? Would any kind of pruning help?
Related Professionals
West Milford Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Bellflower Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Mitchellville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Oatfield Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Buford Landscape Contractors · Wilmington Landscape Contractors · Bergenfield Landscape Contractors · Downey Landscape Contractors · Hicksville Landscape Contractors · Rosemount Landscape Contractors · Syracuse Fence Contractors · Leander Fence Contractors · Wilmette Fence Contractors · Zion Fence Contractors · Kingsburg Fence Contractors