any chance at some pix????

is there any prior history of hurricanes or severe storms... since the time the branches started falling???

ken

imo. It's worth paying $100 or whatever they charge in your area to get a ISA certified arborist out there to look at your tree and tell you what is going on.

Jamie

The first thing I'd do is contact your local agricultural extention. They will know best about what is going on in your area. If they don't know ask them for some names of some certified arborists. Certified arborists would also know what is going on with trees in your area. Any time I've ever needed one, they've always come out for free so start making some phone calls.

Ken, I will get a few pictures later today and post them here. And yes, we had a pretty bad hurricane here about the year before the limbs started falling. When the first limb fell, I thought it must have been damaged by the storm the year before, but after so many years since that storm and limbs still falling, I'm not so sure.

Thanks for the advice guys. I will check and see what sort of pro services are available. I do not want to lose this tree. It's something like 14 feet in circumference at the base (it may have originally been 2 trees that grew together).

I will post a few pictures later today.

'Summer Branch Drop' perhaps. But yes, ISA arborist is in order.

Dan

We really don't have any information whatsoever about the history of the site. It doesn't take much activity to impact the health of the root/soil system of trees. Even construction activity that took place several years ago could cause problems for established trees today. And there are all kinds of naturally occurring events or situations that can contribute to the death of a tree. Including old age.

Anyway, when I see Live Oaks dropping their body parts like yours has been doing, it never a good sign. They don't give up large limbs without a good reason.

Let us know what your arborists say. Be sure to have more than one authority look at the situation.

I have an oak tree in my yard doing the same thing. Did you find out what was causing your problem?

hit the link.. and name every hurricane that has hit this tree in the last 100 years ...

i dont understand how you move beyond severe storm damage.. to bugs and/or disease ...

when you live in hurricane alley

didnt katrina hit sw AL??? according to the link at the link.. it did ... are you in SW AL????

last week i had an 18 inch diameter limb come down in a wind preceding a thunderhead ... it was not enough to damage any other tree for miles around.. i would bet a wooden nickle that it was damaged in last winters severe ice storm .. when another branch came down ... but it hung there until the wind finished the job ...

why wouldnt that logic suffice to question whether your branches were not damaged in the last hurricane that came this trees way???

pure speculation on my part ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Does anyone think it could be competition from things growing at the base of the tree? Do you have a wide pic of base minus the fallen branch? thanks!

It's probably a domino effect with the initial branches that where damaged. The wind affecting branches differently now that the tree is opened up some. It's going to need some work to slow down the threat of more damage.