Hi everyone,

Please note that redcedars normally drop their inner needles during the fall. Any browning observed on the inner portion of branches at this time of year is likley just seasonal browning and leaf drop. Redcedars apparently hold on to their needles for close to 7 years, but each year they drop the oldest needles during the fall.

Questions remain about whether some trees may be experiencing more browning than a typical year. This variation may be one of the many methods redcedar trees acclimate to changing conditions or cope with unusually hot and dry summers. To investigate this further, our friend Jim is revisiting some trees in Tacoma to compare trees that 'typically have access to water year round' to trees that 'typically do not have water in summer'. Our hypothesis is that the trees without access to water in the summer will have more browning (browning on greater proportion of the branches) compared to those that have year round access to water.

Stay tuned!