My Oak is dying?

[JayBix]

I have a large Oak tree in my yard. Since July the leaves have been turning brown and green leaves have been falling off. This is the first time in 16 years that it is doing this. Does anyone know what can be the cause? Some pics are attached.

 

[ChrisWNY]

Contact your local extension office, they may be able to send an expert on-site (such as a horticulturalist) to identify the issue. The other option is to hire an arborist to diagnose the problem. This is a wild guess, but it appears to be anthracnose, which is a fungi that tends to attack weakened trees from the bottom-up. It's generally not fatal to an Oak tree and is treatable (application of dormant oil or fungicide before bud break next Spring). Do you know the approximate age of that Oak? Perhaps it's nearing the end of its life span. Another possibility is disruption of the soil covering the tree's root zone, if any construction took place or the soil was significantly disturbed near the tree any time in the recent past (within the last year or two), that could also cause troubles.

Here is a web article about anthracnose that may be helpful:

http://www.treehelp.com/trees/oak/oak-diseases-anthracnose.asp

 

[JayBix]

We moved into this house 16 years ago and the tree was already well developed. We had a notice sent from the community saying we had too much "debris" in our yard and had to remove the leaves/mulch that we always used to rake to the base of the tree. I'm wondering if removing all that had something to do with it. The thing I'm really worried about is falling limbs since our two cars are parked underneath the branches.

 

[ChrisWNY]

Yeah, definitely recommend having an expert take a look. You don't want that tree to get to a point where it would be capable of injuring someone or causing property damage. Better to be safe than sorry. The good news is that Oak branches are real strong, it's not like having a Silver Maple in your yard which can wreak havoc.

 

[tomtrees58]

yup that tree is toast wen Arney tree is in dresses and we have a drought like now it happens

 

[Urban Forester]

Appears to be MUCH more serious than anthracnose. This could easily be Oak Wilt - Red Oak, started browning in July. If it is, its already too late. If not there had to be a major disturbance to the root system (construction, drought) to cause this.

 

[treeseer]

moisture stress from sudden removal of mulch is my guess. spread a load of mulch around it and hope it comes back nest year

 

[treeclimber101]

That would be bacterial leaf scorch , and let me guess it defoliates in july/august and has worsened a little each year , starting at the tips and progressing inward annually , its a problem here and red oak trees have been dying left and right , there is no cure just try a deep root fertilization and hope for the best , Bottom line is that tree is on borrowed time ...Next you'll start to see the tree leaf only towards the inner of the tree often very thick , with leaves that are half green and half crispy brown ..... PM me if you need any other help with that tree GOOD LUCK

 

[ChrisWNY]

treeclimber - was bacterial leaf scorch widespread among Oaks in NJ this year? Did the drier Summer conditions this year cause this epidemic? Too bad there's no penicillin for trees.

 

[treeclimber101]

treeclimber - was bacterial leaf scorch widespread among Oaks in NJ this year? Did the drier Summer conditions this year cause this epidemic? Too bad there's no penicillin for trees.

Last five years have been bad , and it is wiping out the red oak quickly and if they cannot find something , it will be equivalent to dutch elm disease real soon ...As crazy as it sounds I was told that when the jet stream shifted this came along with it crazy maybe I dunno

 

[ChrisWNY]

Now that I think about it, a large Red Oak at a family member's cabin (in NW PA) has been on the decline for a year or two, I'm betting it's related to the same problem. Hopefully there's nothing out there that might put my younger Swamp White Oaks in jeopardy (insects already put them through enough)...

 

[grantwolland]

mine too...

i've got a couple of oaks in my back yard that are causing me distress also. granted i'm nowhere near you guys but one didn't even leaf this year and the other has half of its leaves browning but the leaves have a growth on them looking like little straws coming down from the underside? i don't know if its insect or plant in nature. both trees have never shown any distress until this year. i'm needing to get a pro in here to look at them soon. one would be disasterous if it came down without my help. the other just into the gully but both would be a loss of canopy for my yard.

 

[Rftreeman]

you might as well turn that into firewood...