Sounds to me the most likely explaination is that the tree has not been in it's current location long enough to beome fully established and behave normally as of yet, but light period cculd also be contributing. In addition, while I can't say for you, but this was not too good of a color year here (about 25 miles south or the border). Trees were all out of sink. For example many sugar maples turned early, while others have just now turned. Even many blackgums were not their normal selves.

One of our sugar maples is not yet coloring normally after two growing seasons, but has also not yet put on a normal amount of growth either, though the trunk caliper grew remarkable this year. A second sugar maple in the ground now for 1 full year did not turn colors normally either, but did also add significant trunk caliper. Both trees showed NO visible signs of stress over the course of the summer, but almost certainly have not yet fully established at this time.

How much did your tree grow this year? You stating that the bark is just beginning to exfoliate suggest that this was the first growing season that the caliper grew significantly, which supports the ideal that is still getting established, and so will not behave completely normally. On a positive note, our trees have grown significantly AFTER they added significant caliper the year before. The trees don't seem to add caliper until they are fairly comfortable, at which time they can divert resources from root growth to storage in the trunk for the next seasons growth. So it would seem realistic that you may see different results next fall.

JMHO,
Arktrees

>The trees don't seem to add caliper until they are fairly comfortable, at which time they can divert resources from root growth to storage in the trunk for the next seasons growthI would expect the trunks are getting noticeably thicker because the whole tree, including the roots is more developed. I would also expect that the same annual allocation of energy to different parts of the tree, varying with the season would occur every year.

Thanks guys,

I was talking with someone else out here about this and he gave me the same response. He said that he had the same hybrid and it did exactly the same thing. It took about four years for it to get established; as you say 'comfortable.' Every year it would turn a bit more than the last. The fourth year (this year) it turned the way it was supposed to.

I really appreciate you taking the time to answer me. I'll just stay patient with it and leave it alone.

Thank you,
EricPaul