Who’s eating my Crimson Beech?

Question

We have a lovely Crimon Beech tree in our yard and the upper foliage is being stripped bare. Possums that do much damage to other trees don’t seem to be guilty this time, as even the thinnest twigs are not broken. There’s no sign of insects on it, and haven’t seen any birds in it. Something nocturnal maybe?

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Answer 1

Unless there are signs of chewing or sucking insect pests, caterpillars, aphids, scale, beetles; then I suspect a water issue: too little (drought stress) or too much (root rot).

The photo shows the tree is in a lawn, which if irrigated can be problematic for overwatering and root or crown rot.