What could be causing our (older) maple tree to look dead?

Question

What could be causing our (older) maple tree to have very few leaves? It looks dead, but the branches are still green if cut, not brittle. The leaves left over are not pretty fall colors, but ugly, brown, wilted, and shrivled.

Answer 1

Depends on where you live, right now. Many of our trees here in Delaware are beginning to look like that, due to severe drought conditions.

Answer 2

Hi,
I hope the site listed is helpful. You can also submit (mail) sample leaves (fees are charged)

Several things can damage/kill trees:

!...........lack of water in obvious drought
2.........hitting/scraping trunk with lawn mower or snow blower
3..........digging into the root zone with a shovel ,for example
4........parking /driving heavy vehicles under /near the tree.
During the building of a deck....patio.......driveway......addition to house............vehicles can cause damage. This is especially true with maples as the roots are shallow.

Best Regards,

RP

Answer 3

high time u try to save it by regular watering, that s my guess, before it all shrivels up for good!