Sickly Post Oaks

[eahullqu]

Sick Oak Tree

I have several oak trees in my yard that appear to be Post Oaks. Recently I noticed that the leaves were growing mostly out of the larger branches and not the small twigs at the end of the branches. Most of the small twigs on the trees appear to be dead. One of our oak trees recently died, along with another oak in our neighbor's yard. I am afraid that this may be an indicator of a dying tree. Is there anything I can do to help these trees? I don't want to loose them!

Eric
Chattanooga, TN
Can someone recommend a good arborist in the Chattanooga area?

Here are some photos of my trees...

Leaves growing out of the limbs.

The small twigs are dead but leaves are growing out of the branch.

Close up of the leaves for identification (scars from recent hail storm).​

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Has there been any new activity in the root zone?
When I see tips dying back, I look at the roots.

 

[Ekka]

Well, I'm no expert in oaks but that 2nd pic down does look bad.

A flush of epicormic growth along the leaders whilst the tips are dying back.

Looks like our gums a few months after a fire has been thru.

But definately something severe going on with the roots area.

Drought? Poisons or toxic spills? Gas? Tunneling, drainage or grade change? Salt?

 

[eahullqu]

The trees have been relatively untouched for the past 50+ years. However, developers recently cleared out the property right next to us for a new sub-division (does that count as "new activity in the root system"?). ...and we have had quite a bad drought the past couple months. But my oak trees were looking sickly long before summer got here (back in the spring). Other trees in our yard are looking very healty. It's just the oak trees that appear to be sick.

I have noticed that there is some moss growing on a couple of the trees, and it looks like some kind of parasitic fern growing on one of them... Is that a bad sign?

Is there anything I can do to help these trees?
Should I try watering them? Would it be helpful to give them some kind of furtilizer? What types of things would a professional arborist do to save a tree like this?

Eric

 

[whitenack]

How recently was the property next door cleared?

How close is the cleared area to the tree?

Did any of the equipment come on your property?

 

[eahullqu]

We moved into this house about 3 months ago. The property next door had already been cleared by that point... Maybe back during the winter?

One of the "sick" oak trees (the 2nd photo) is actually within 10 or 20 feet of where the heavy equipment were digging. The tree that already died was within 10 feet of some more serious digging... I think it's roots were severely damaged and that might be why it died.

However, there are a couple other oak trees that are nowhere near this construction that also appear to be showing the same signs that the other oaks are showing. Two of the trees are near a driveway (maybe 10 feet) ...and one of these trees is also near a paved road (again, probably about 10-12 feet). I would guess that these trees are maybe 50 or 60 ft tall.

There is another oak tree in the lower yard that is not near a road or the construction... and it too is not looking as healthy as I would imagine it should.

Eric

 

[treeseer]

No parasitic moss or lichen in TN that I know of.

To find a good local arborist http://www.isa-arbor.com/findArborist/findarborist.aspx

Sounds like construction damage all right. Pictures of the site would help/.

 

[Ekka]

Hey Guy, it's not that wilting oak disease thing is it?

 

[treeseer]

NO Mr. Black, it does not look like oak wilt, which affects red oaks more than white (you can see by the round lobes that post oaks are in the white group).

 

[eahullqu]

Sick Oak Tree?

I just went out and snapped a few more pictures of the trees.
On further inspection the oak leaves appear rather healthy.
It is the strange growth patern on the limbs that has me concerned.

I also got a better idea of how close the trees are to the roads
------------------------------------------------------------
Tree 1: 6 feet to neighbor's gravel driveway, 15 feet to our gravel driveway.
Tree 2: 20 feet to gravel driveway, 12 feet to blacktop road.
Tree 3: 20 feet to gravel & blacktop roads, 12 feet to new construction digging.

Moss growing on the tree

Leaves for identification

20 feet to gravel and blacktop roads

About 6 feet to the neighbor's gravel driveway

Oak trunk

About 12 feet to the blacktop


Thanks for all your feedback!

 

[adrienne1265]

Parasitic Moss?

I too have this parasitic moss-type growth on trees and bushes in my yard. It has killed two Mimosa trees and has infested 5 of my gardenia bushes with 2 of them on the way to dying. What do I need to do to get rid of this? I also have some large old trees on my fenceline that have dead and dying outer limbs visible. Twenty years ago my late husband and I planted "Red Tops" as a property divider... they too have succumbed to this blight. Please help me!!!

 

[rebelman]

adrienne I think your problem should be a new thread. I don't think the moss on the oak is aproblem. In fact I don't think the die back is a big problem. My guess is Drought and sunscald have caused exsessive suckering and the slight die back. Mulch the root zones.

 

[treeseer]

reb is right' you cannot panic over moss and other benign organisms.

Redtips are a whole new thread; please post pics or search leafspot.