Why do the leaves from my birch trees fall off before fall? Upstate, NY?

Answer 1

Weather can effect this. The trees here in my part of Indiana are beginning to turn and lose leaves because we had two months of hot, very dry weather. Are you sure they're simply falling off? Are they turning color or just falling off? Sometimes it appears they've fallen off when, in fact, something has eaten them. Japanese beatles are a particular problem with this. I'd check for any signs of disease first, then consider the weather, and look for insects.

Answer 2

Something is stressing them......could be traced back to a late season frost back in April/May. How are they growing? If they are just hanging around neither thriving or dieing rapidly, they could be in some stress. Whether from too little water/flooding, compacted soils, poor nutrients, insect problems......it's hard to say from here. Also it could be your particular individual(s) have developed this particular genetic quirk robbing you of fall color. I have a cottonwood that develops yellow leaves on one branch weeks before the rest of the tree.....some mutation back when that branch first developed.

Answer 3

I have seen this here in NZ. Usually its unseasonal weather, extremely hot & dry, lack of moisture and the trees go into survival mode. To cut down of evaporation of moisture they drop there leaves and normally come away next season

Answer 4

Jack,

if you've had a lot of rain it could be anthracnose:

http://www.treehelp.com/trees/birch/birch-diseases-anthracnose.asp