My tree loses a few hundred new leaves per day and they are not even mature leaves. The tree does have a very heavy base of vines, the main one looking like sumac but I dont believe it is and this heavy, bushy vine sticks out approx 3 ft from the tree, all the way around, for the first 12 ft, but continues to grow up around 35ft, about 1/2 way up the tree. Is it safe to have vines like this around a tree or should I cut them off immediately? Also, if I do cut it all off, is it safe to cut it all off in one session, or will that shock the tree?
Thank you!!!!
Oliver

Hi Oliver. My advice is to get rid of the climber so that you can see what other problems may lie beneath. Climbers on trees can hide a multitude of sins. There could be various reasons for the leaf drop. You need to give more background.

Oliver, if the tree is an American sycamore, it probably has anthracnose disease. This is a common fungus infection of the leaves and small twigs. It hits the new leaves as they start to unfold, and new infections can continue for several weeks. Once started the infection preads, eventually getting to the leaf petiole (stem) where it stops sap flow and the leaf drops off. Although it is messy and unsightly, the tree can survive this defoliation rather well.

In some cases the disease grows down into the twigs, where it forms small cankers or dead areas. These can also spread around the twig, eventually killing everything on the twig past that point. The dead twigs can fall from the tree at any time, so this adds to the messiness of the tree.

The disease is very seldom fatal to sycamores. It is disfiguring and leaves them looking sad through much of the summer. There are various treatments available that can help reduce the infections and improve the appearance. Contact a good full service tree company for advice on what can be done. (Laws for treatments vary from state to state, so I can’t offer a specific recommendation here.) You can search for local Certified Arborists at this link: International Society of Arboriculture Follow the links to Find a Certified Arborist.

The vines are probably not seriously affecting the tree, although I usually recommend that they be removed so the tree trunk can be inspected.