Strange disease damaging/killing my sugar maples

[deacm]

I tap about 15 yard trees as a hobby. In the last 2-3 years I've watched whole 'shields' of bark fall off of some of the trees. Last year in early autumn one of the tree's leaves went straight to brown with very little time spent at yellow or orange and was subsequently deemed 'dead' and we had it removed. I had the county ag agency come out and look at it and they were perplexed and sent a sample to Penn State where they could find no pathogens. I have attached some photos of the surviving trees and some of the stump of the one we cut down. Any ideas would be much appreciated or more importantly has anyone else seen this? Some basics about these trees:

a) The trees are 50 years old
b) They are 15-20 feet from each other in a line
c) Located in NW Pennsylvania
d) Are anywhere from 100-200 feet from a lake. They are yard trees

Let me know if you need to know anything else. Thanks. in advance

For some reason, I cannot upload some of the better photos, but this might give you an idea.

2312923130

[maple flats]

My only guess is that it was struck by lightning years ago, but that's only a guess.

[maple flats]

The english tin evaporators were all made using lead solder. I suggest you keep an eye open for a lead free pan. In the meantime try to keep the syrup in the pans for as short a time as possible. Don't clean the pan so the solder shines, leave the patina on the help seal the lead. You may be banned from selling your syrup.

[Sugar Bear]

Last year in early autumn one of the tree's leaves went straight to brown with very little time spent at yellow or orange and was subsequently deemed 'dead' and we had it removed.

2312923130

All of the maples that I tap, only about 40, did the same thing with their leaves this year. Every single one. Glad I did not cut any of them down, as I deem none of them dead, at least not yet.

That looks like a lightning strike in the photos to me too. If you have suddenly had several trees with that problem, it could still have been a certain type of lighting that strikes very many trees (anything well grounded) in the local area. I have been in the middle of one of those storms about 40 years ago and fortunately in a car and not well grounded. You will not forget it if you are in it. And you will not want to be in it again. I think it was a "Ball" lightning storm. Scientifically Unverified by science ( Perkins would have a field day ) but HIGHLY suspected of existing. I vote in favor of the "Highly" side based on what I have seen.

But the lightning strike answer for your trees, is just pure visually based conjecture on my part, from visual observations of the past and yes, of course it could be some insidious disease with no electricity whatsoever.

[30AcreWoods]

Wild. Like Sugar Bear, almost all of my maple leaves on 30 acres went to brown and down this year. I read or heard somewhere that it may have been due to the incredible amount of rain we had this year and the formation of a type of mold on the leaves. There were areas of VT and NH that did not have a good foliage season even though it was initially predicted to be a good one. Hoping it was an anomaly. My ash trees on the other hand (sigh...).

[SeanD]

Yes, the brown and down is from all the rain. Maple News had a story on it. It shouldn't affect next season.
https://www.themaplenews.com/story/producers-worried-about-terrible-looking-trees/489/

I don't have any help for the OP. I have similar damage on one young tree here. All the other trees around it (non-maple) seem to be okay.

[deacm]

Thank you. I just came from a local maple producer's annual meeting last week and the consensus there was that it was Armillia Root Rot

[deacm]

I've had my English tin pan's contents tested for lead on a regular basis and so far not anywhere near over the limit. But thanks for the tip

[DrTimPerkins]

Yard trees are often damaged at the base by lawnmowers or string-trimmers or by the roots being buried too deep during planting or subsequent soil additions. Hard to tell from these photos, but looks to be some old damage of the main roots close to the ground. This could be by the factors above, rodent (mice or moles) grawing, or lightning. Secondarily there could be some type of infection that got in from that wound, possibly Armillaria (shoe string rot fungus). The leaf browning could be due to this damage, or simply anthracnose. Either way...not a lot you can do other than to watch it and see what happens.

[deacm]

Yard trees are often damaged at the base by lawnmowers or string-trimmers or by the roots being buried too deep during planting or subsequent soil additions. Hard to tell from these photos, but looks to be some old damage of the main roots close to the ground. This could be by the factors above, rodent (mice or moles) grawing, or lightning. Secondarily there could be some type of infection that got in from that wound, possibly Armillaria (shoe string rot fungus). The leaf browning could be due to this damage, or simply anthracnose. Either way...not a lot you can do other than to watch it and see what happens.


For your clear statement of what might be afoot here.
Thanks
Deac

[DrTimPerkins]

For your clear statement of what might be afoot here.
Thanks
Deac

You're welcome. Happy to be of assistance and hope your trees pull through.