Western red cedar (Thuja plicata). Luke McGuff photo.
Sometimes clients ask our staff, “What’s wrong with my cedar (or pine or fir)?! It’s dropping its needles!”
Most frequently, the answer is “Nothing.” This is a natural condition.
Every fall and especially after exceptionally dry summers, some evergreen trees experience what appears to be an alarming death of leaves or needles. It can occur with western red cedar, pines and other conifer.
What is happening? Despite their name, evergreen needles do not stay green forever. Older, inner leaves (needles) discolor and drop off after one or more years. Some plants shed their leaves slowly over the season; others lose large numbers in the fall.
Should you be concerned?
Your tree’s needle drop may be a natural loss, or there may be a problem. Here are a few things to look for.
- Observe the timing of leaf drop. Most conifers and evergreens will drop most of their leaves in the fall. Excessive leaf shedding in the spring or summer months may indicate a problem.
- Check the pattern of leaf drop. Healthy trees drop only older leaves, those closest to the trunk away from the tip of a branch. If a whole side is dropping leaves or entire branches are turning brown, the plant may be suffering from a pest, disease or cultural problem.
- Check the color of the newest leaves at the tips of branches. If the tips of needles or leaves are brown, the plant is drought stressed. This may explain the leaf drop.
- If you are unsure about a plant’s health, give In Harmony a call. Our technicians are trained to recognize natural needle drop and distinguish it from more alarming plant problems.
Reference: Landscape Plant Problems: A Pictorial Diagnostic Manual. Byther, R.S., Foss, C.R., Antonelli, A.L., Maleike, R.R., and Bobbitt, V.M. Washington State University Cooperative Extension, 2000.
newly planted 15foot evergreen losing needles concerned because I had 18 15ft put in this is the only one with needle dropping please help
Hello, it is hard to say why only one tree is losing its needles. Perhaps there is a problem with the roots, the way it was planted, a change in slope that would affect drainage, or something else. Are you an In Harmony client or in our geographic area? Call us if you would like us to come out and take a look. We need to see the tree to give you a diagnosis.
My cedar has been dropping excessive needles the last 2 months or more. It is 45 yrs old and I need to know how to treat it BUT I have 7 rescue cats/ kittens that I cannot keep from exposure if it has to be sprayed with a toxic chemical. If you could give me a treatment suggestion that is not toxic to animals I would be most grateful as this is a very special tree as on our wedding night we planted this tiny tree from the river bed in 1975. But my rescue kitties are my life so if spraying with toxins then I will not put them at risk. Thank you
One of In Harmony’s goals is to keep landscapes healthy so people don’t need to use toxic chemicals. We always aim for the least-toxic approach to any problems and would not recommend chemical products except as a last resort.
We cannot determine what may be wrong with your tree without inspecting it. Are you in the Seattle area? You are welcome to contact us for a consultation.
No, I am I n Southwest corner of Kansas. Dodge City to be exact. So I thank you for your time. Looks like this is one time technology can’t help.
Sorry we can’t look at your tree. Good luck with it!
My cedar tree was planted 47 years ago. I am in South east Alabama. The tips of the branches are falling off they are green still and it has never done this before. I do notice that there are now a few rows of bore worms in the trunk but not an enormous amount. I have treated that now. It is just not something that has ever happened. I have another cedar that is not doing this and it is in close proximity to this one. Any idea what could be cause if this. Thanks for any input.
Sorry, we are in the Seattle area and don’t have knowledge of potential tree problems in Alabama. I suggest you ask your local extension agent.
My cedars needles are dropping off when you brush up against them. It’s early February in Ontario and we haven’t had the usual cold temperatures that January and February bring until recently. I haven’t noticed this in the past and was wondering if I should be worried.
Hello, I am responding to your question about your cedar trees. With our cedar trees here in the PNW, as long as the tree has good, green strong foliage at the tips, it should be ok. Most evergreen trees shed old needles off during the winter months, again as long as it is the internal needles. If you are seeing newer foliage having trouble, you may want to take it to a local garden center for more local expertise.
I hope this helps.
Hello, It is spring and my ~45 year old Western Red Cedar in NE Seattle is dropping green, healthy needle clusters. I don’t remember this happening in past years. Is this a concern and if so, what should I look for? Thank you
We have seen some changes in older trees in our urban areas. We feel a lot of it is from the dry, hot summers that are now more common than not. Extra watering for the plant is now recommended for all our urban trees during the summer (and possibly spring) months. This may mean having to water a large area because of how big the root system could extend.
We are already at a water deficent for this season. Seattle is at half the rain we usually get so far this year. So it will be imperative that we watch the weather and begin watering as soon as we see the soil drying out.
Hi,
We have 2 cedars in our backyard (south facing). One is about 20ft high, and the other is about 7ft. I noticed that the needles are dropping off the bottom of the trees. The needles in the middle and top look healthy and green, but just at the bottom. It seems like there is more and more needle drop from that area and it’s looking bare. Is there anything I can do? THANK YOU!
Hi Christine, western red cedars are increasingly showing signs of drought stress. Here is one of many articles I found about the problem.
https://www.registerguard.com/story/news/climate-change/2022/08/31/iconic-western-redcedars-key-to-pacific-northwest-ecosystems-are-dying-climate-change-pnw/65464186007/
It is possible that your tree has drought stress. It is also possible that it is experiencing normal dieback. Here is the text from a fact sheet we created about evergreen needle drop.
Let us know if you need more help.
EVERGREEN NEEDLE DROP
“Help! What is wrong with my cedar (or pine or fir)?! It’s dropping its needles!”
Most frequently, the answer is “Nothing.” This is a natural condition.
Every fall and especially after exceptionally dry summers, some evergreen trees, such as the western red cedar, experience what appears to be an alarming death of leaves or needles. Pines and other conifers suffer a similar, if less dramatic, fate.
What is happening? Despite their name, evergreen needles do not stay green forever. Older, inner leaves (needles) discolor and drop off after one or more years. Some plants shed their leaves slowly over the season; others lose large numbers in the fall.
What you can do
Here are a few things to help you determine if your tree’s needle drop is a natural loss or if there is a problem of concern.
Observe the timing of leaf drop. Most conifers and evergreens will have their most significant leaf drop in the fall. Excessive leaf shedding in the spring or summer months may indicate a problem.
Check the pattern of leaf drop. Healthy trees drop only older leaves, those closest to the trunk away from the tip of a branch. If a whole side is dropping leaves or whole branches are turning brown, the plant may be suffering from a pest, disease or cultural problem.
Check the color of the newest leaves at the tips of branches. If the tips of needles or leaves are brown, the plant is drought stressed; this may explain the leaf drop.
If you are unsure about a plant’s health, give In Harmony a call. Our technicians are trained to recognize natural needle drop and distinguish it from more alarming plant problems.
Reference
Landscape Plant Problems: A Pictorial Diagnostic Manual. Byther, R.S., Foss, C.R., Antonelli, A.L., Maleike, R.R., and Bobbitt, V.M. Washington State University Cooperative Extension, 2000.