100 year old oak turned brown in 1 wk. help!!

[Melissa Lallo Johnson]

Hello, can you help me identify what the potential cause of this tree turning brown would be? The tree started turning brown a few weeks ago and now only has one branch that has green leaves on it. We have lived here at this property in North Kansas City for 4 years and this tree has always been relatively healthy until this year. We did have a bad drought about 3 years ago and we have very wet spring weather. These photos were taken today. The tree started turning yellow at the top about 3-4 weeks ago and has quickly turned to brown. I put fertilizing stakes in the ground in June (I know it was a bit late) but multiple people who have looked at the tree said that could not have done this to such an established tree. I need to know if this is something I should take down to help keep the other oak trees near it safe or if this is something that the tree will rejuvenate in the spring. These photos were taken today. We have someone scheduled to come out and take the tree down next week but then I was reading that sometimes the trees turn brown but come back the next year. There are no gall marks on the leaves, they just get dark brown spots and the overall leaf turns brown. There is no damage to the tree, holes, etc except for an area at the trunk that is rotted but not hollowed. Help!!!

 

[crotchclimber]

Probably oak wilt Ceratocystis fagacearum fungus. The speed of the decline makes me lean towards a biological agent as the cause versus any abiotic environmental factors.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Anything unusual happen around the tree since you lived there - like heavy equipment driving around? The base of the tree doesn't look good.

 

[Westboastfaller]

Seeds for sale?

 

[captndavie]

Awful nice looking yard. You do any weed and feed or spray any 2-4-d?

 

[Melissa Lallo Johnson]

Probably oak wilt Ceratocystis fagacearum fungus. The speed of the decline makes me lean towards a biological agent as the cause versus any abiotic environmental factors.

That's what I was afraid of. I sent photos to our local extension office and they said this has been a problem around here. Thanks so much for your advice!!

 

[Melissa Lallo Johnson]

Awful nice looking yard. You do any weed and feed or spray any 2-4-d?

We have a 5 step treatment plan by a company called Picture Perfect. We use a system on the whole grassed property and all flowerbeds of pre emergent, fertilizer, grub control weed control and this year I had three insecticide treatments on the lawn and shrubs. Our grass is fescue/rye/bluegrass mix.

 

[Melissa Lallo Johnson]

We have a 5 step treatment plan by a company called Picture Perfect. We use a system on the whole grassed property and all flowerbeds of pre emergent, fertilizer, grub control weed control and this year I had three insecticide treatments on the lawn and shrubs. Our grass is fescue/rye/bluegrass mix.

And thanks so much for the compliment! When we bought the house it was dirt in the back yard and little to no landscaping. A lot of blood, sweat and tears in this yard!

 

[Melissa Lallo Johnson]

Seeds for sale?

 

[Melissa Lallo Johnson]

Anything unusual happen around the tree since you lived there - like heavy equipment driving around? The base of the tree doesn't look good.

No, not anything different than what has gone on to upkeep the property in the years passed. Certainly not anything I would think would cause this to happen. I'm so upset about it.

 

[BuckmasterStumpGrinding]

I would agree with oak wilt because of the quickness but I would also like to see pictures of the base of the tree all the way around. I would think that added dirt and too much water may have drowned the tree or allowed a fungus to collar the tree.

 

[Jason Douglas]

Oak wilt or another similiar pathogen seems about right but the real cause of decline appears at the root flair. Something happened to cause the decay there. Something damaged the flair or a butress root in that area that led to a root and butt rot.

In the future... install mulch rings around ALL woody plants and run soil tests before any tree fertilization is performed. A local arborist focusing on PHC and consulting rather than tree removal is a great place to start.