I have a good-sized (10" trunk 20-25' high) sugar maple next to the
street in front of my house. Last year it was very thin, leaf-wise,
and turned to fall color mid-August. By mid September it had dropped
all its leaves, way earlier than other trees in my Zone 5 neighborhood.

This year its even thinner leaf-wise! I called the village (who
maintains the trees in the parkway, the strip of grass next to the
street) mid-June and they sent a guy out. He said: "Yep, you've got
a problem, we're not sure what. We've scheduled a root inspection, it
might be root-bound."

Well they never got to it (don't know if they will, long story), so
in mid July I fertilized with Espoma Tree-Tone per instructions and
have been watering regularly. No change, but I didn't expect it this
year.

As of now the tree is 2/3 fall color and dropping leaves!

Could any of you give me any suggestions as to what to do or what might
be wrong? It's next to a street, a driveway, and a sidewalk, maybe it's
just not getting enough water? But other parkway trees are doing OK.
We have clay soil, perhaps root-bound is the answer? There are no signs
of insects or disease that I can see.

I plan on getting an arborist involved if today's call to the village
bears no fruit, but I'd like to hear any opinions you might have.


Thanks,

Max

I have a good-sized (10" trunk 20-25' high) sugar maple next to the
street in front of my house. Last year it was very thin, leaf-wise,
and turned to fall color mid-August. By mid September it had dropped
all its leaves, way earlier than other trees in my Zone 5 neighborhood.

This year its even thinner leaf-wise! I called the village (who
maintains the trees in the parkway, the strip of grass next to the
street) mid-June and they sent a guy out. He said: "Yep, you've got
a problem, we're not sure what. We've scheduled a root inspection, it
might be root-bound."

Sugar maple is a very poor choice for that location. If I were running your
village, I would cut the tree down (the wood is valuable) and replace it with
something more suitable, like a linden. Otherwise it will probably continue to
die a slow agonizing death.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)