Western red cedars in South Langley, BC are dying, with browning starting at the tops during summer and progressing downward until the trees are completely dead.

The answer to the Tang-colored mystery involves tiny spruce needle rust fungus spores that also rely on Labrador tea plants to survive.

In the last few years, I have observed a significant die-off of Western red cedar in several high traffic and peripheral areas of Pacific Spirit Regional Park (PSRP). The majority of the cedar trees I saw were noticeably consumed by browning, small, and young, with most likely more shallow root systems. This is consistent with vegetative stress to which young trees have not developed resilience, but older trees may be less impacted

At some point even commercial tree removers will need help with disposal. And what should be planted in their place?

The ‘persistent and widespread decline’ of the province’s official tree is due to drier, California-like summer droughts of two to three months.

The die off of Western Red Cedar trees on East Vancouver Island due to drought and severe weather has First Nations extremely worried. Cedar is a critical part of first nations culture and as Skye Ryan reports, there is growing concern the dying trees will have a ripple down effect.

Some Western red cedars are struggling after repeated bouts of drought conditions and experts say expect the tree to vanish for good in spots with shallow, dry, rocky soil.

Discolored spruce (Picea sitchensis) needles

Spruce branch girdling causing discoloration in tree.

The spruce along the highway between mile 157 and 162 show signs of stress, the tips of the branches are orangish and the deep green of the trees are fading.

A new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), finds that black spruce trees — a key species on the boreal landscape for millennia — are losing their resilience and capacity to regenerate in the face of warming temperatures and increasingly frequent Arctic wildfires.