How can I save huge dying Eastern Red Cedar trees? - Ask Extension
The large 50’ tall Eastern Red Cedars in my backyard appear to be slowing dying. They are dropping needles like crazy, look sparse, scraggly and the...
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How can I save huge dying Eastern Red Cedar trees? #927791
Asked April 08, 2026, 7:33 AM EDT
The large 50’ tall Eastern Red Cedars in my backyard appear to be slowing dying. They are dropping needles like crazy, look sparse, scraggly and there’s some branch death at the very top of one. We have a group of ground hogs wreaking havoc in the lawn and they are destroying other plants. The ground is very mushy under the tree on my property and the tree is leaning slightly. One tree (not on my property) is covered in vines and looks mostly dead with some in tact branches at the bottom. I try my best to cut the creeping charlie and other vine plants from the tree that is mostly dead except for the bottom branches.
What can I do to save these once beautiful trees? Do you have any tips on how to deter groundhogs? There are ample woods for them to use behind houses. It’s a battle.
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
Unfortunately, from the looks of the trees in the photos, they do not appear to be salvageable. You could refer to a licensed arborist to have them examine the trees in person, but in our opinion, they will likely recommend removing them.
The groundhogs probably didn't do damage to the root system. They would be eating other vegetative growth. The trees could be dying for other reasons, like staying too wet or too dry, depending on the soil conditions, or a pest issue that we cannot see from these photos.
While groundhogs can be a nuisance in a home garden setting, unless a large fence is used, and one that is also buried, it is difficult to prevent them. You can live-trap and relocate with permission. Refer to our webpage for more information.
Emily
Hi Emily,
Many thanks for your assessment and suggestion. There are small holes all around the trunk of one of the trees and I did smash a few bagworm cocoons that I was able to reach. Maybe there were a lot more I couldn’t see at the top. They also always look stressed when the orange fungus shows up every spring (neighbors have crab apple trees).
This is so sad. I have seen so many bird species in those trees. A large white egret once perched itself on the very top of one. It was magical.
I have a small juniper tree that is also stressed and dying on the inside. I think I will bring an arborist back out for their thoughts.
Thanks again!
Michelle
Some rust fungi (the type causing the orange spores you've seen) can weaken a juniper if infections carry on for years. The current state of the juniper's symptoms could be an accumulation of various issues and stressors over a number of years. Bagworms can consume foliage, but you'd see high numbers of them if they'd been the primary factor behind needle loss. Holes in the bark, if they are in fairly even rows, may be due to Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, a native bird that spends the winter in our area but which migrates north for nesting in spring. Usually their numerous pecked holes do not cause harm to the tree, but occasionally they may cause it too much stress if something else is also affecting the tree. An arborist can probably narrow-down their assessment to likely factors, even though as Emily noted, it's not treatable.
Dead trees do still provide wildlife value, but if you prefer to remove it, as long as the soil isn't too damp in that area, you could replant a new native juniper if you want a replacement.
Miri
Dead trees do still provide wildlife value, but if you prefer to remove it, as long as the soil isn't too damp in that area, you could replant a new native juniper if you want a replacement.
Miri
There’s definitely evidence of the distinct sap sucker holes on my holly tree but the holes don’t look the same as on the cedars. Do these holes look like sap sucker holes? I haven’t seen any sap suckers since I moved in in 2019.
Also, is there any way to tell what is cause my holly tree leaves to look like the attached pictures? It’s looking sparse.
Yes, those do look like Sapsucker holes on the redcedar...they can create two different types of holes, with one looking like what the picture shows (rows of round holes) and the other looking lacier, with more rectangular, shallow patches of missing bark in a patch of closely-spaced "holes." You can see examples on the linked photo gallery page.
We can't see enough of the holly's condition to guess at a diagnosis, but individual leaves developing spotting and/or yellowing tends to be normal before those leaves shed, as hollies always lose some of their oldest leaves in spring. Many hollies were damaged by this winter's weather, and our ongoing drought (unless plants were watered periodically) isn't helping either, adding to their stress. All that can be done for now is to monitor them for watering needs, if possible.
Miri
We can't see enough of the holly's condition to guess at a diagnosis, but individual leaves developing spotting and/or yellowing tends to be normal before those leaves shed, as hollies always lose some of their oldest leaves in spring. Many hollies were damaged by this winter's weather, and our ongoing drought (unless plants were watered periodically) isn't helping either, adding to their stress. All that can be done for now is to monitor them for watering needs, if possible.
Miri
