transplant shock followed by sunburn .. did you put it in full sun after being in the house all winter ... soil looks improper for a tree .. of which we need an ID ... i think its a norfolk island pine.. but i am not sure ... why do you think its a spruce??? and the media looks dry ... and too peaty... never fertilize a stressed plant ... good luck ken

I have this exact problem now. The tree is in the chook yard. I moved in 18 years ago and there were two trees close together. After about ten years one died..didn't care had the other and the chooks like the shade in summer. I am in South Western Australia which has hot summers and mild winters. I have never watered the trees directly because we are only 8ft to water and expect the roots to be in very moist sand 6 ft down. Three weeks ago there were some serious storms come through and all my trees received a very good drink. 8 ft away is a massive orange tree that yields over 600 oranges a year and i'm a bit concerned it might end up the same way. My initial thought was that the buildup of nitrogen from the chook poop is doing it but cannot find out much about nitrogen overdose. It currently has about 100 plus lemons on the tree atm which are small and withered as are the leaves. The leaves are yellowing and curling like it's thirsty. I will remove all the fruit from the tree and find a citrus spray for disease's and spray it. I have never bothered to fertilize the lemon because of the fowl droppings..funny thing is that the ground is damp around the base, so watering seems like it is not required. Interestingly though, there is fruit that has fallen a week ago, that is ripe and plump with perfect skin under the tree.So this is just happening.......confused.

Just looking at a Blaze maple, could cause portions of crown to change color. (Joke) But seriously, Freemanii Blaze and Marmos crossbred between Silver and Red Maple, have become iconic for early fall color problems. Maybe because presently, almost 99% of trees produced in Nurseries today, arrive with root flares already too deep in rootball. I agree with what others had suggested, it might be a girdling root problem. Another thing that will inevitably shorten your trees lifespan, is that mound of Mulch/soil at base of tree. Here is link to this old house video instructing owners how to perform a "Root flare excavation" around base of tree. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI12XNNqldA  A root flare void of any extra soil is so important (Mulch turns into soil), that Forest service suggests sweeping young trees root flare clean of any accumulating organic debris each spring. Also check for any flat spots on sides of trunk, especially on side where colorful branch is. Which is sign of girdling root. Hard sad fact, todays mulch mounding fad is expected to claim more lives of trees, than EAB and Dutch Elm disease combined. Also, black tar spot causes no adverse health problems to tree. So you can rule that out. Do you have automatic sprinkler system hit one side of tree? A one sided tree problem, is usually a root problem. And I can see branch above that one also showing some fall color. From my observations over last 20 years, Blaze maples that show this early fall leaf color, usually retain those leaves until true fall anyways . And seem to have that problem year after year. Since you watch tree year round, you have best chance to make good diagnosis. If tree does not have problem next summer, but does again year after. Document some details each year, like weather conditions etc.. Overwatering or iron deficiency was another possible problem someone else mentioned. I would think chlorosis would show in all of crown, or maybe root on that side of tree encountered some limestone. But usually other trees in same area show same symptoms, such as crown full of yellow leaves. You may want to check soil PH, just to rule that out. But know if this branch held on to leaves until true fall, its only a visual problem just like black spot is. Also, 20 year maturity point is time when owners learn if tree will live past 40 years. Or will continue to slowly decline. But I presently think, its not that serious. And even if you do remove offending branch, one above it is already showing same thing. Don't let anyone tell you a good pruning will solve things. And I think low branches can be most beautiful thing on a tree, unless shaded out. With all this info I gave you, answer might be in there somewhere...I belong to a committee at Morton Arboretum where horticulturist that invented tree is also from. So hopefully I will have chance to speak with him about your trees colorful problem. And please keep us updated about problem, since there are so many other Blaze maple owners facing same difficulty.

Probably has 'SCAB" if the pecans don't mature and turn hard and black. It can be sprayed. Mine was a very large tree. I should have tried t have it trimmed first, but I decided to cut it down. It was too close to my house and had the problem for years. If I had had it trimmed extensively then sprayed for SCAB, it may have had a chance. I didn't know this until AFTER the fact. If you can check with an arborist or someone who trims trees who really knows pecans, get their opinion. Your county extension agent may know of arborist. Good Luck!