We are receiving calls and emails from the community about the sycamore trees in our area, “Why are all the leaves turning brown and dropping just after they emerged this spring?” The answer is Anthracnose, a fungus that affects developing shoots and young leaves. The fungus needs water to thrive and does not spread in dry conditions.

This year we have seen almost complete defoliation in our sycamore population due to the our moist spring weather. In most cases, the fungus will not kill the tree. Small trees can be treated with a fungicide when the leaves first emerge, applying every two weeks for about two to three months. However, this is not really feasible for large trees. As the weather warms up, new leaves will emerge and thrive as the fungus dissipates.

Our native sycamore seems to be more prone to the disease but it is this process that contributes to the irregular growth and unique form that distinguish this handsome tree. When dieback occurs, new buds emerge at new angles creating the character which offers so much appeal.

So like all diseases, be observant and if dieback continues a call to a certified arborist may be warranted. Otherwise, accept this cycle of nature and think about the twists and turns a tree has taken when you pass by one of these beautiful, sculptural forms.

“In the place that is my own place, whose earth
I am shaped in and must bear, there is an old tree growing,
a great sycamore that is a wondrous healer of itself.
…
Over all its scars has come the seamless white
of the bark. It bears the gnarls of its history
healed over. It has risen to a strange perfection
in the warp and bending of its long growth.”

excerpted from The Sycamore by Wendell Berry.