What you’re probably witnessing is the result of the trees being exposed to a disease called; "Phytophthora ramorum"…. also known as "Sudden Oak Death". This disease is transmitted very easily and has killed thousands of oak trees (as well as tanoaks) in the Northern California area. The good news is that redwoods might lose some of their foiliage (the browning you’re seeing) but they seem to be able to survive after infection.

This disease was noticed on redwoods about 10 years ago and has also been found on Douglas Firs. Many of the researchers believe the disease won’t kill any of the conifers since they seem to exhibit an natural resistance to the disease (other than some foliage loss). But the bigger issue is that the oak trees are being destroyed by this disease and will serve as fuel if/when subjected to forest fires. Since these dead oaks are found within forests of redwoods, they could intensify the fires and therefore destroy everything around them…including the redwoods.

My advice is to not remove your young trees but stay informed about any new developments by the University of California-Berkeley and Davis about ways to keeping your trees healthy.

Hope this answered your question. GOOD LUCK keeping your trees healthy!

pollution