An even cut like that on all plants looks like rabbit damage. Appears as though they bit the outer green off and left the dead inner parts. Not much to do but to wait and see if any of what's left will bud out, but it doesn't look good.

tj

Thanks for the reply! So, you don't think its a disease? Just a very hungry rabbit? This makes sense as we do have a family of rabbits that successfully consumed all of my tulips to the ground, before ANY of them had a chance to bloom this year.
(sigh)
:(

the local golf course wraps them to avoid deer browsing which looks the same ... but a bit higher ...

it wont matter what you do to them.. if you dont solve the vermin problem ...

and it will take years for them to recover .... so dont go expecting some miracle this summer ...

ken

Last fall I admired all the arborvitae in Maine, they grow like weeds up there. I was told you couldn't kill them. Not true!

As long as you have a lot of rain and they are in full sun they do ok in area 6 but I really don't think they are meant for our climate. I have almost 100 of them in my yard here so I have my problems too. I hope the bottom of your trees fill out.