What can I do with a 33 year old mple that has started to drop it's dead leaves in June. All branches are not affected. Only some.

Reply to post by Sandy, on June 24, 2002 at 23:04:03:

A diagnosis is not possible without seeing the tree and the symptoms. However, I can offer one possibility- anthracnose disease. This is caused by a fungus, usually early in the season, and results in dead areas of the leaves and in many cases in some defoliation.

Before applying treatments, you need to be sure of the problem. Contact a local arborist or the Cooperative Extension to get an ID on the disease.

The American Society of Consulting Arborists can recommend highly qualified arborists and consultants in your area. Their web site and database is at

http://www.asca-consultants.org

or contact the main office at

American Society of Consulting Arborists
15245 Shady Grove Road
Suite 130
Rockville, MD 20850
(301) 947-0483

The International Society of Arboriculture maintains a current list of ISA Certified Arborists. The searchable list can be accessed at the ISA Web site, at:
http://www.isa-arbor.com

Reply to post by Sandy, on June 24, 2002 at 23:04:03:

You need to know what kind of maple you have. If you rely entirely upon others for advice and expertise, you can at least do some research, just to make sure that people you hire aren't entirely clueless. (Sort of like knowing something about cars in order to avoid mechanics who are full of bull)
If the tree you have is native, then it shouldn't be too hard to I.D. A good nursery can probably help you identify it. There are also lots of web-based tree I.D. resources, once you have a clue about what kind of tree you may have.
The Silvics site lists a number of U.S. native trees, including maples. For most species there is a section listing damaging agents. You can research the disease names and see if the pictures/descriptions match what you see. It's a place to start.