Can you murder a tree by shooting it?

[gwendog]

For years, I'd a fir tree in my garden, growth 25m away from the house. It has/had a trunk which was perfect to attach cardboard targets and the thick bark ensured there were no bounce backs.

This year, the tree has died, going from evergreen to all-over brown and dried out. I live in Scotland, so it is not dehydrated...

Is it possible three years of lead pellets have killed it?

[Mole trapper]

Haven't used any copper coated type have you?

[Phil Russell]

Somehow I doubt it. Did it all die this year or were there patches of dead branches last year? I guess you have not used brushwood killer anywhere near it? Going brown like you describe is generally a sign of a root disease caused by a soil borne fungus but it is pretty usual for it to kill off parts of the tree first rather than everything all at once.
Or just plain old age.
Cheers, Phil

[Phut]

When (if) you get it taken down tell your tree surgeon it’s full of lead, his chainsaw blade won’t thank you otherwise. On the other hand if you tell him it’s full of lead he might not want to take it down!

[les allam]

My dear old Dad used to have a big grape vine growing at the bottom of the garden.
Unfortunately for him I used to hang my Airgun targets All over it.
One year it just stopped living,so it could be some thing in the lead .
Les..

[piggy589]

Haven't used any copper coated type have you?

That's a thought,a veterinary surgeon I once knew claimed a copper nail could be used to discretely kill a tree.

[Troubledshooter]

If it has died, why chop it down; cut it back to a trunk about 5 to 6' high and you can still use it for targets without causing any further possible damage, plus, if you put a feeder on top with some peanuts you may even attract some greys.

[gwendog]

If it has died, why chop it down; cut it back to a trunk about 5 to 6' high and you can still use it for targets without causing any further possible damage, plus, if you put a feeder on top with some peanuts you may even attract some greys.

Pretty much exactly what I intend, though I've going to create a decking circle about 6' up for grandchildren den when the little sods visit. Guns are always invisible on these weekends.

[cptman]

Nothing lives forever trees eventually die of old age like everything else.

[micky2]

That's a thought,a veterinary surgeon I once knew claimed a copper nail could be used to discretely kill a tree.

Yes l was told that copper nails knocked into a tree will kill it. but l have never tried it.

[xbow]

Trees can get infections if the bark is penetrated. As you’ve been doing this repeatedly it’s possible you have killed it.

I bought a woodcrete bird feeder years ago and it came with an aluminium alloy nail so it could be nailed to a tree but I decided on hanging it on with thin rope to avoid damaging the tree.

[Rapid7Nick]

Had a conifer tree die last autumn. Although I had a bit of Round Up drift over it, when I had a sudden gust of wind come from nowhere whilst spraying a Russian Vine nearby.

Her indoors wasn't impressed when the tree went brown a month or two later. Conifer was in a horrible place anyway and got too large for the garden.

[arsefactor]

I had a conifer die over the winter, all went brown and crispy. No pesticides or chemicals used.
Landscape gardener friend of mine had a look and said the drought in previous summer had probably killed it off or damaged it enough it didn't survive the winter. I'd bet on this rather than damage from pellets.

[Ragle Jnr]

Hi, if the pine is a larch it may have a disease that I can't spell, phyto remora or something. I live in Scotland too and lost a tree two years ago. Look at the forestry commission web site, felling and burning in situ helps prevent the disease spreading. The rest of my conifers look fine. HTH David

[Phil Russell]

Hi, if the pine is a larch it may have a disease that I can't spell, phyto remora or something. I live in Scotland too and lost a tree two years ago. Look at the forestry commission web site, felling and burning in situ helps prevent the disease spreading. The rest of my conifers look fine. HTH David

Phytophthora ramorum, usually associated with death of rhododendron, oak (sudden oak death) and others. I have not heard of it on fir trees in Uk ... but it could be another Phytophthora spp which are common soil fungi.
But, as suggested above, do not rule out drought effect from last year, especially if the effect is over the whole tree because many soil borne pathogens do not kill all the tree at once, they kill it in stages according to which part of the root system they infect first. Herbicide damage? Somehow I doubt it from glyphosate unless the tree got a good drenching all over.
Cheers, Phil