silentlou...i'll get out there today and take some pics for you, and post them tonight. The trees on the east side are farther away (maybe 20 feet), but the trees on my south side are probaly 12 feet from where my plantings of all kinds start.I have deer and bear, coons,possums, skunk, fox...you name it, i've got them running through my orchard..it's a freeway! I get the majority of my damage from moles, though..haven't seen too much damage from other animals. I know what you mean about the hickory nuts dropping...mowing in the fall sounds like ping pong balls under your deck! My ground is littered with little holes where the squirrels bury them... My hickories didn't give me anything to speak of this year..they have one huge bearing year,(last year for me), then they rest for a year or two..so this was going to be light year for them anyway, then along came the hail storms and knocked a ton of them down early. I love my woodpeckers..I have the smaller (6" or so) kind in my hickories, and I have a big (14") woodpecker that comes to a dead tree I have on another fenceline..he's been going to that tree for 2 years, so I leave it there for him..it drives my neighbor nuts, he wants the tree for firewood, but I won't give it to him!! Are you Upstate N.Y.? I am between Albany and Syracuse. One other question..how old are your Hickories? I was told by an old timer that years ago, the government(don't know if fed. or state) had a program either during the depression or just after to give people fruit and timber trees if they would plant them, to help people have a future source of food and/or timber. Most of my neighbors have huge stands of pine trees..I guess the people that lives here wanted nuts! Donna

I would trim it down to where you can see live wood (some greenish instead of brown/white wood) New branches will grow. You can select a new leader later. Which variety is this? Some are more cold hardier than others.

i have planted about 750 trees.. and conifers on my 5 acres ... on glacial sand ... [lots of minis and dwarfs] AND NEVER FERT'D A SINGLE ONE ... PLEASE STOP FERTG THIS TREE .. very frankly .. your tree looks GREAT ... i never presume mother nature allows a perfect specimen ... and i would not waste time .. money.. nor exposure on treating for this rather minor blemish .. there is no way that little damage is in any way .. effecting those leaves ability to process sunshine and feed the tree [which is another reason it doesnt need fert] bottom line.. its a tree .. treat it as such.. it is not a child.. that needs feeding.. pampering.. etc .. and BTW ... if you fert the lawn.. this tree will get whatever it needs from that ... no need to double or triple up ... enjoy your tree.. dont fixate on it ... ken ps: my theory is.. the pix are sideways.. because you turned your gizmo to portrait pix ... to take pix of the tall tree ...

It's not cedar-apple rust. Looks more like scab, a fungal issue than can affect both apples and pears although many disease resistant varieties available. I'd take samples of the affected leaves into your local extension office for an accurate diagnosis and the best methods to treat this problem in your area - appropriate treatment and timing can vary by location and I have no idea how prevalent this may be in FL or what they recommend. FWIW, scab does not necessarily require treatment. It depends quite a lot on how severe the disease is and how much leaf loss occurs as a result. My favorite apple variety - Gravenstein - is extremely prone to scab, yet I grew it for years and never, ever sprayed. It lost some leaves during the season but nothing drastic and scab seldom does anything more than blemish the appearance of the fruit - it remains totally edible. So spraying fruit trees is NOT a requirement if you are able to tolerate less than pristine looking trees and fruit.