American Elm, twig dropping question.

[chainspinrunner]

I have an American Elm on the property about 23in. dbh, and about 75 ft. tall. The tree has an outstanding shape and crown, but this spring the past few weeks, the tree has been dropping twig ends. About 6 inches of the ends of the braches which are woody. The break is not clean and the leaves are still very green. The tree has just started leafing out in the past two weeks and is dropping this new growth everyday. I understand that the Dutch Elms Disease discolors leaves and this is why I am not sure of why this is happening. There has been previous elms taken down on the property, but none close enough for root grafting. The Grey squirrels have been up in the canopy, but I can't reason why they would 'snip' a twig end off. The trunk is clean and no visual signs of fungus, disease, etc... Also the tree doesn't have any deadwood in the top either. I am going to try to research this some more and pinpoint the reason for dropping the twigs. So we can either save the tree or remove it before it causes damage.

[WDH]

I am interesting to see what you find out.  Sounds like something is chewing them off.

[chep]

 Good to read you here g. Pictures of the twig would be helpful! Dutch Elm disease generally shows up as more then one dead leaf. The whole branch will die (called flagging). It sticks out pretty quick. I wouldnt go bucking the tree yet.
  My first instinct is to make yourself some squirrel pie. Know what Im sayin? Go get em dusty

[chainspinrunner]

 Chep, glad to hear from you also my man. I hope you are still at it just as I am! We need to connect soon and catch up. The squirrels are my #1 target, found it happening on a Sugar Maple not far from the Elm. The leaves on both are still very vibrant and green, the twigs look like they have been chewed by something probably climbing varmints. The property I am working on is a sanctuary and i wouldn't be surprised if squirrels are the target. heh. I will keep my eyes out and let you know.

[SwampDonkey]

Squirrels is my theory. They clip red pine bows here and spruce for the cones and also chew sugar maple bark and twigs in the spring and lick the sap flowing down the stem. Seen them with my own eyes. There has been one real busy squirrel here this spring along with the dang darn sap suckers (often 4 at a time on a tree) and they are both mouthy varmits when you intervene.

[WDH]

Mouthy varmits?   :D :D

[ArborJake]

Tree rats that's what I call um. They chew the bark of off Norway Maple around here all the time. I had one run right down my back in a tree. I've also seen them fall 20-30 ft. They usually sit for a while and then take off like nothing ever happend.

[Clark]

Here's a really bad answer:

I recall a professor in college telling us about one of his yard trees and I want to say it was an oak, dropping twigs like you are talking about.  At the time he was teaching a bugs and crud class I was in but he was more concerned about us learning scientific names (past and present) of the various bugs and diseases than the practical ID and management of them.  Plus he had a thick German accent which was difficult to understand.  All of which means I didn't learn a whole lot there.  Back to the story...he said the solution was to collect the twigs and burn them.  Some insect was in the tree and the grubs would bore into the twigs and then cut themselves and the twig free of the tree as part of their life cycle.  Your story reminds me of this professor's story.

For the life of me I can't recall what the insect was.  If you suspect that the damage could be done by an insect or you're able to find a grub/larva in one o fthe twigs I would take a picture of the it and send to a University or Extension bugs and crud person.  They should be able to set you right.

Then again, it may just be squirrels!

Clark

[WDH]

The twig girdlers are bad to cut off the twig tips in hickory, but the cut end is very neatly done with a perfect cone -shaped cut ring around the twig to the point that the twig breaks off.  There is some jaggedness at the break point.  Do the twig ends look like this?

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/trees/note96/twigg5a.jpg

Here is a website that describes twig girdlers.  The longhorned beetle is the most common girdler. 

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/trees/note96/note96.html

[Ron Scott]

I would say that it's the squirrels cutting the twigs which they do often on my maple yard trees.