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Oak trees dying

Started by fishfighter, May 13, 2016, 03:43:38 PM

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fishfighter

Don't know if this should go here or where.

Anyway, today walking back to the camp I'm building, I notice that I have three oak trees dying or could be dead. Two are red oak and one is a water oak. There are other oaks all around these trees. They are about 35 years old. They all started about two weeks ago when I first notice some browning of some spots in the tree tops. Now, just about every leave fell. :(

I don't see any beetle holes nor anything else as to why they are dying. Anybody else having this problem in the south?

Magicman

Do you remember a few months ago I asked about those trees.  To me, they did not look right in your pictures.  All of the cabin building activity could have compromised the feeder roots.

They probably put leaves out this year with their "dying reserve" that they had saved up through the Winter.  Your situation is not uncommon, or rather is very common.
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fishfighter

These three are about 200 yards away from the camp. So I don't think that is the problem. :( They were clear around them about 10 years ago.

Magicman

Well then obviously it was not the cabin activity that killed them.  Maybe last Summer's dry weather stressed them.  Or this Winter's wet weather drown them.   :o   :-\
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

WDH

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ESFted

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fishfighter

Quote from: ESFted on May 13, 2016, 11:20:16 PM
Maybe Oak Wilt or Oak Decline?
http://www.southernforests.org/rural/damaging-insect-and-disease-pests-in-the-southern-united-states-1

Read that yesterday. IDK? Going to hate to have to fell these trees. Really wanted to keep them. They are set back about 40' to 50' from my pond.

OldMasterTech

Diseases aside, any change to water table or major change to surface drainage patterns will kill oaks first. I've noticed this phenomenon on site work that I have done over the years and sites that I drive by routinely. Usually it's a slow death starting at the top and may span 5 - 10 years.
One large job I did the owner insisted upon keeping all trees and sure enough, hired me 5 years later to take all the oaks!
All gave some ** Some gave all
Never forget

Magicman

My adjoining leased property was logged a couple of years ago during which they activated some of the old logging roads.  Many of the mature oaks alongside those roads have now died.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Gearbox

All it takes is stress witch weakens the tree and the bugs move in . North MN lost a lot of Red Oaks a few years back after a hot dry summer .
A bunch of chainsaws a BT6870 processer , TC 5 International track skidder and not near enough time

fishfighter

It has been a really wet winter and spring here. Water didn't sit around these trees. Heck, I did a walk about in the woods and there is still water there that I never saw in my life. :o

If it was water, then I feel that other oaks around would be dying too! I just don't know. Waiting to see if my buddy can make it over here.

GeneWengert-WoodDoc

I would think that your county forester would be interested, as it is very unusual to have a tree die quickly....it sounds like it leafed out and then the leaves died out in a few weeks.  In California, we have SOD, Sudden Oak Death, that has killed millions of oak, but it has not been seen east of the Rockies in oak.
Gene - Author of articles in Sawmill & Woodlot and books: Drying Hardwood Lumber; VA Tech Solar Kiln; Sawing Edging & Trimming Hardwood Lumber. And more

Joe Hillmann

I don't know about red oak but white oak are VERY sensitive to their roots being bothered.  Simply driving over the the root system and compacting the dirt can kill them.   If they are around a cabin you recently built chances are the roots were disturbed and that is what is killing them.

fishfighter

These trees are a couple hundred yards away. Still no clue as to why they died.

LeeB

Sounds suspiciously like oak wilt. What did the leaves look like?
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fishfighter

Normal. That is why this is a mystery.

LittleJohn

Quote from: Gearbox on May 14, 2016, 09:34:31 AM
All it takes is stress witch weakens the tree and the bugs move in . North MN lost a lot of Red Oaks a few years back after a hot dry summer .
This happened at my parents place UP NORTH, cleared out a spot for the house, and all the oak on the edge of the lawn started dying (not sure from the stress of build, or the fact that now the ground has direct sun on it)  ...either way its now on the lumber pile or firewood pile  :(

fishfighter

Well, I have a forth one dying. >:( This one is close to the camp. About 75'. :( Such a nice one to loose.

Sorry about the pictures not to clear. Saw dust in everything. :D



 

Some leaves.



 

Will get a better picture of the leaves. Burning off scraps back them and I will need to check the fire.

Some better pictures.



 



 

fishfighter

I did have a parish agent come in and look at the trees. He had no idea. Did take some samples.

More bad news. Have three more dying. :( Got to go for a walk about in the woods to see if any others are dying. This is not good. The three that are dying now have not been disturbed. :o

Kbeitz

Big show on TV today telling about this problem all over the world.
They are blaming it on global warming.

It was on the home box channel.
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

fishfighter

Well, IDK about that. ;D I'm going to hate to fell these trees. :( Most are around 20"+ BH. There is a lot of lumber in them. First branches are 30'+ up.

reswire

In Maryland, foresters are checking Oak groves for a beetle that kills in large numbers.  They check the leaves on the ground for "black spots", that are the tell tale sign of the little buggers.  I know farmers that have cut their entire woodlots of all their white oaks, at the request of the forestry dept.  By felling affected trees, they hope the blight won't spread.  I'd check on the Maryland forestry sight for more info. 
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dboyt

Is the tree in the photo typical of all the dying trees (very tall, thin, with a small crown)?  This tree appears to have grown in dense forest, then been released.  An oak with this form just doesn't have the foliage to support itself.  Small consolation, but look at another species to replant.
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fishfighter

I will be replacing them with grafted pecan trees.

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