I over the past two years planted more than 20 Norway Spruce trees ranging in size from sapling to 4 to 5 feet tall. of these I have only about six remaining. They seemed to thrive during both winter and summer until recently when they began one by one to just turn brown and die. I was told and I read that these trees were extremely hardy and could thrive in most any climate or soil type. Can you tell me what might have happened here?

Greetings Bruce,

Well, there can be a myriad of reasons why you have witnessed mortality from these trees. Some of these reasons may include (1) poor nursery stock, (2) mishandled nursery stock, (3) poor planting of nursery stock, (4) lack of adequate soil moisture, (5) too much soil moisture, (6) insect and disease, (7) herbicide drift, and the list can go on and on...

Many of our trees this year suffered severe drought-induced symptoms - including mortality. Without an on-site evaluation, nobody can tell truly answer your question with any degree of confidence.

Therefore, you have several options available to you in order to satisfy your curiosity: contact your local Extension Office to see if they have a horticulturist on staff to provide you assistance; contact a certified arborist or a professional consulting forester; submit a sample to the Univ. of Illinois plant clinic; or submit a sample to a private plant pathology laboratory.