What would cause my metasequoia (Dawn Redwood) to turn pale?
I have 6 metasequoia trees in a grove. One has become pale and looks like it has chlorophyll.
Answer
Yellowing of leaves is chlorosis caused by disease or nutrient deficiency, usually iron. There is a decrease of chlorophyll. Also, Dawn Redwood foliage turns yellow in the fall. The tree could be shutting down early.
What is different with this tree versus the other five? Is it located on higher ground? Were the roots disturbed? I am inclined to think that it received less water than the others and went into the winter shut down, due to the dry hot weather.
I am not sure there is anything you can do at this stage. Hopefully it will leaf out (or frond out) next spring. An arborest could probably find out the cause by an onsite visit.