Old white oak in distress

[dalewb]

Hello folks, we have an old white oak on our property (Cary, NC) whose base was partially buried when our property was developed back in the 90s (we assume that's when it took place). Today, it's still standing, but a stain is slowing spreading upwards on one side of it, and today I noticed a type of bee that I believe has boaring tendencies is attracted to the stain. Can you please look at the photos and identify the insect and tell me if this tree can be saved? It doesn't seem to be in any imminent danger of falling, but we had a landscaper tell us that it might not be worth the cost and effort to unbury and protect the base. We really need an expert here so we can know if it should be unburied and a curved wall installed to hold back the hillside. Thanks!

 

[esean]

The base was buried ~30 yrs ago??? Its a bit late to do something about it now. 30 yrs too late. The insects aren't the problem, they're just drawn to the exudate from the infection. How does the crown look? The tree could hang on for quite a while, or it could be dead next year.

 

[dalewb]

The base was buried ~30 yrs ago??? Its a bit late to do something about it now. 30 yrs too late. The insects aren't the problem, they're just drawn to the exudate from the infection. How does the crown look? The tree could hang on for quite a while, or it could be dead next year.

The crown looks fine. Aside from the infection stain, you wouldn't know the tree is struggling - it produces a bumper crop of acorns and leaves every year and doesn't seem to drop branches due to rot. We had an arborist on site a few years ago, and he didn't seem urgent about it, but did mention that the base of the trunk needs to be unburied. I just went out and took a look to verify my statement - it is a beautiful tree, with seemingly no issues other than the stain - it is growing, however, and is now around 10 feet tall (long). Is there anything we can do about the stain besides unburying the base?