We don't have it here, but the next-door county does. 8-( I have friends in Chicago who fifty years ago lost the elms that lined their street. Then decades later they happened to live on the original block for the Asian longhorn beetle infestation: they lost every tree on the block except a lone conifer. I never expected anything like that here.

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.

It all looks really nice so far! A cheap diy to get a moon gate ring/garden arch is to buy a used hay ring off Craigslist in the "farm and garden section" and use it for your garden. I've seen them as cheap as $40 around here but I live in a area with a lot of horses etc. They look like this (see link). You just bury part of it or cement it in. They are big and heavy duty. You will need a truck to haul them in. https://www.google.com/search?q=hay+ring&sa=X&biw=1366&bih=638&tbm=isch&imgil=5Jz4J9PD6VwnJM%253A%253BrbzJJTeADn1cZM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.fivestarmfginc.com%25252Fhay-ring.htm&source=iu&pf=m&fir=5Jz4J9PD6VwnJM%253A%252CrbzJJTeADn1cZM%252C_&usg=__6I28hO9E6aETRk3QS8nBj09vglA%3D&ved=0ahUKEwiJ68GOqKLQAhUJjFQKHQ3cA7sQyjcIfA&ei=gpEmWImiKomY0gKNuI_YCw#imgrc=5Jz4J9PD6VwnJM%3A

Embothrium, Smivies, and ken_adrian Adrian Thank you for your responses! "the original trunk having been cut off, replaced by a new one." - I don't understand. How can you replace original trunk by new one? "species oak are grown from acorns collected from large isolated groups of that type of tree ... no one would go to the expense and labor or grafting them ..." - totally agree it is *right* way for genetic liveness; grow from seeds (acorns). Disagree completely that it is easy way! Are you sure that you will get Red Oak from acorn? Plus, City of Toronto prefers, for example, non-fruiting maple varieties, and etc.; no way to have it from seeds and to know in advance what it will be. "from acorns collected from large isolated groups of that type of tree" - totally agree, you need big isolated area with Red Oaks only, pollinating each other. It is not easy to provide warranty that seedling will be truly Red Oak, but nice to have unique selection in your front-yard, "weeping oak" :) mine seems loving branching from the bottom, I'll try to keep bottom part at least Yes, it came from third-party, subcontractor of City of Toronto, which may (or may not) import cuttings from another wholesaler (from another country) and we all know Phytosanitary certificate cannot prove that cuttings were made by disinfected tools and etc. Anyway, this disease looks exactly like "Oak Wilt" (although I am just guessing... except fruiting smell) but I could not find any resource describing disease on young whips. All description on Internet are for old trees; including "fruiting smell". If it is not this... then what it is? No-name fungus no-one cares of? I googled, I couldn't find anything; winter damage maybe, but I have cracks from top to bottom and in all sides. Waiting for an Arborist from City of Toronto to check, maybe they will cut it and send to lab for analysis (which will take few weeks)