Oak Tree Disease

15 years ago

We have an oak tree (I believe a pin oak) that was planted on our parkway by the city. The tree was planted about a year and a half ago and I would estimate it to be about 15' tall. Last year it had a number of roundish growths on some of the branchs a bit larger than the size of a grape. They fell off fairly easily so I knocked all of them off (not sure if this was the right thing to do). Now this year two of the top branched have no leaves on them. Does this tree have some sort of diease/fungus? If so, how can it be treated? Thanks!

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Comments (6)

redneck_grower
15 years ago
Sounds like oak galls to me, often a reaction to insect damage, I think. It occurs all the time on my native oaks in CA.

Google "oak galls".

Cheers!
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
Usually, galls aren't something to worry about and are not the cause of the die-back of this tree. I'd guess that this tree was a fairly large one when installed and might just now be showing signs of problems with the planting process, maintenance, etc.

Oftentimes, municipal trees are left to their own devices once planted. Is that the case in this situation?
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This is definitetly not the normal retaining of it's leaves. It is the same thing (whatever it was) that happened to another one of our pin oaks last year (we have about 10 in our own yard, and they fill the woods that surround us). I am so unfamiliar with calling the local "extension office". Is it in the phone book as "[Name of County] Extension Office". And then you call that number and ask for their "tree expert"? Why does/would the county have a tree expert anyway?? (To take care of the trees in the natural woods of the county??) I wouldn't have thought to do it on my own, but I will try it out. The other two items mentioned here don't seem to match the look or symptoms of what we're seeing. Thanks, though; we're looking for all suggestions. Miss Mary
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I'd suggest sending the pics to the extension office. The service is free and if it isn't in your county then just use Waukesha county. They will give you direction and if you want confirmation you will have to pay to test it. I don't think you have wilt but if the ext office thinks you do, you might want to pony up to confirm. It will wipe out stands of oaks as the disease is easily spread from one oak to another either by interconnecting roots and from insects. From what you're telling us with multiple trees being effected and slowly dieing you might want to take this a bit more seriously and ditch GW for advice...hmm...maybe you shouldn't be taking mine... and get a professional involved on site.
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veinnalewis, Just wondering how your tree is doing. I was searching on trunk disease of a red oak and found your post and pictures. I have had a very similar thing happen, in short I live in N. TX moved into our house in 2003 and planted trees both live and red oaks. In 2009 all three red oaks had the same thing happen very similar to your pictures and got much worse where we lost one of the three trees. The other two are still here but show a lot of damage. We were told the same thing, paint the area and peel bark off, that Japanese boar beetle was to blame taking advantage of a weak tree. Sad to say I think that was the worst advice, the paint actually suffocated the damaged area making things worse. I'm not an expert but trying my best over the last 10+years to save my red oaks from this and what I have learned was the in the very hard way. Final decision is that that year along with prior years was a very hot and dry summer and the soft young bark was burnt from the late evening setting sun damaging it (very quickly) to the point where the core was showing and there were small holes from a beetle attack. The paint was prolonging the trees natural ability to try and help itself heal, the past four years I have had a board shading the injured side of the trees from the sun setting, don't peel any of the bark off until it falls off naturally, because peeling it off too soon exposes the soft bark to insects and beetles again causing further damage. I have fertilized in the spring, made sure they get plenty of water especially in the summer, and monitored them in the evening to make sure no direct sun was on the injured area and so far this has worked. I hope you get my message and I would like an update as to how your tree is doing. I wanted to try and help someone else with this terrible problem for the red oak trees, by far my favorite kind of tree.
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Tom, I'm just making some assumptions here but this is my take: lots of these chainsaw-happy folks are new homeowners (or new to suburbia) and unfamiliar with either landscaping or gardening at all and are not, as you say, tree-savvy. And they have read or been told all those horror stories about large trees on their property - they will fall and destroy the house (not necessarily true), their roots will invade and damage the foundation (also not necessarily true and far less common a situation than one would imagine) and you can't grow anything under them or even in close proximity (again, not necessarily true). They consider this and determine the only viable course of action is removal. Out come the chainsaws!! Of course, the more reasonable alternative is that after purchasing a new home, they have visions for the landscape/garden that don't include a heavy population of trees. But that doesn't exactly jive completely with the wholesale removal of anything on their property that grows taller than 10'. I think some folks are just plain scared of large trees. Period. If that's the case, do not move to the more suburban or rural areas of the PNW - big trees (and I mean BIG) are extremely common in virtually any garden. And depending on area, removal during the construction phase is done only by permit, is closely monitored and in some cases, removal of any existing native trees must be followed up with a suitable replacement.
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hairmetal4ever
15 years ago
Few cities properly water or care for trees once planted. I've seen them replant areas 3, 4, 5 times and spend tens of thousands in tax money, when if they had just spent a few hundred to water and care for the tree for a couple seasons, they could have avoided replacing them 3 times.
msmity29
Original Author
15 years ago
This is correct, the city planted the tree and placed mulch over the area. Since then they have done nothing. I have watered it a couple times. What else can I do to try and save it (90% of it looks healthy)?
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
Have the dead wood removed, and keep it mulched. Don't pile the mulch up against the trunk, like I see in lots of city plantings.
wisconsitom
15 years ago
Msmity

If it was planted by the Forestry Dept, surely they are the ones who should be consulted with. You nay not get an instant response-I'm sure there are stacks of calls-but Chicago is known for doing a good job with their urban forestry program, and it seems you should eventually hear from them.

BTW, those who lambast municipal forestry depts. for not coming and watering the trees in front of their house need to get real. You clearly have absolutely no conception of what it would take to go around to all the trees that need water. The dept. I work for installs the trees correctly, provides a really nice big mulch ring, and leaves a door hanger with instructions for the homeowner. When the tree needs pruning, we're there to do that, and will take the thing down when that becomes necessary. Truly a cradle-to-grave service. Is it too much to ask that the person that already lives there water it? And I'm 99% sure that some of you complainers are also the ones b*tching the loudest about your property taxes.

For the record, we DO water the newest street plantings when it becomes necessary. But it is NOT cheap, easy, or practical to go beyond this. Just in my ornamental plantings alone, we might truck 6000 gallons of water on a hot, dry day. That's hustling and doing everything possible to maximize efficiency. To think we could water all the street trees is beyond ridiculous.

+oM

Oak Tree Disease

Comments (6)

redneck_grower

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

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Oak Tree Disease

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redneck_grower

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

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