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Don’t let your oak tree die from your lack of knowledge about its needs and warning signs. Knowing how to plant, grow, and properly care for your oak tree will help keep it healthy and thriving throughout its lifetime.
fasttreeremovalatlanta.com gathered the following crucial species, planting, and care information for oak trees.
Oak Tree Description
This species is typically a large, deciduous tree growing tall and wide. Also known as common oak, this tree species grows and matures to form a broad and spreading crown with sturdy branches beneath. It can be identified by its distinctive round-lobed leaves with short leaf stalks and, in winter, by its rounded, clustered buds.
Oak wood typically has a density of 0.75 grams per cubic centimeter, which is considerably more than pine wood (0.43 grams per cubic centimeter). Therefore, oak wood is recognized as the most durable, hard, and fungal-resistant material used for producing high-quality oak furniture and doors.
Oak trees benefit the environment by providing safe habitats and ample nourishment to wildlife and helping maintain good air quality by absorbing air pollutants. Mature oak tree canopies are efficient at preventing soil erosion by slowing rainfall and providing nutrients to the surrounding soil.
Oak Tree Information
Besides lending a strong branch for a child’s summer swing, Oak trees are a refuge providing food and shelter for numerous bird and animal species. Consider the following planting and care information:
Species – Quercus Hardiness Zone – This species thrives in zones 5 through 10 but can survive in zones 1 through 11. Preferred Soil – Oak trees are highly adaptable (growing in acidic, alkaline, loamy, moist, sandy, well-drained, and clay soils). While the tree prefers average moisture, it has some flood and drought tolerance. Sun – Full sun and partial shade are best for oak trees. Oaks thrive in a minimum of four hours of direct, unfiltered daily sunlight. Water – Water your oak tree once a week, giving it a deep, thorough watering around the trunk and surrounding area (to the outer edges of the tree’s canopy). This will ensure the tree has sufficient water to remain healthy and fully hydrated. Growth Rate – Oaks are fast-growing and sturdy native shade trees. They are extremely long-lived and can grow 1 to 3 feet per year throughout their lifetime. This species grows fastest in its first 10 to 15 years. Size at Maturity – Oak trees grow to a height of 40 to 80 feet and a spread of 60 to 100 feet. Lifespan – An oak tree’s life span varies according to its species. However the average life span is about 100 to 300 years, but some species can live for shorter or longer times.
Oak Tree Pruning
Prune your oak tree’s crown during the winter months for three years after planting. Remove any low-growing branches (to force the crown into an attractive arching shape). Remove all branches with a narrow crotch to increase remaining branch strength, and consider the following when pruning your oak tree:
Make Cuts Outside the Branch Collar – The branch collar is the swollen area at the branch’s base (where it connects to the trunk). Trimming branches down to the branch collar will hurt the main trunk causing severe damage to vital growth/recovery tissues.
Shorten large or heavy branches by cutting them back to a lateral branch or bud
Always make angled cuts (this encourages growth)
Keep the Tree’s Crown Full – Never remove more than one-third of the tree’s canopy in a single season. The tree depends on a broad and healthy crown to create food from photosynthesis and grow healthy roots, and this is especially crucial when the tree is young.
Prune with a Purpose – Pruning branches from mature trees removes significant weight from the tree and can drastically alter its shape. It is crucial to consider which branches you will trim before making the cut. Pruning branches from mature trees should only be done for specific purposes:
Removing dead, diseased, or broken branches
Remove branches to promote more sunlight and airflow within the tree’s canopy. Be careful doing this as you want to avoid “over-thinning“ the canopy
Allow Your Tree to Heal – After pruning your oak tree’s branches, leave the wound alone to let the tree seal itself in the open air.
Note: Prune carefully to not injure the tree excessively, and make sure the tree has plenty of water.
Tip: Trees naturally seal cuts. It is not necessary to apply any sealants as this can trap microorganisms inside the tree and lead to severe disease threats.
As your oak tree matures, you will likely require a professional tree service to evaluate and prune your tree.
Oak Tree Disease Threats
Oak trees may be adversely affected by a variety of diseases. Always maintain healthy oak trees by following good tree care practices, which are the first line of defense in preventing most of these problems:
Oak Leaf Blister – Oak leaf blister is caused by Taphrina caerulescens. Blister-like patches appear on the leaves. They are often lighter green than the surrounding tissue, eventually turning brown.
Prevention & Treatment: Leaf blister is rarely severe enough to require control measures.
Bacterial Leaf Scorch – This disease is caused by the xylem-limited bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. It is characterized by a disruption of water (hydraulic) movement, rapid decline, reddening, or yellowing, followed by leaves browning, leaf drop, dieback, and eventual death.
Prevention & Treatment: Remove all infected trees and replant the area with resistant species.
Actinopelte Leaf Spot – This fungal disease may become a severe problem in wet weather. It is caused by Tubakia dryina (formerly called Actinopelte dryina). The symptoms include circular, dark to reddish-brown leaf spots with a typical ¼ to ½ inch diameter.
Prevention & Treatment: Destruction of all infected plant material should reduce the fungus’ spread. Rake up and dispose of fallen leaves.
Oak trees (Quercus species) are well adapted to their hardiness zone when planted and cared for properly. However, they still may be affected by a variety of diseases and oak pests:
Galls – There are over 750 different galls identified on oak tree species. In fact, more galls occur on oak than on any other plant type.
Control: Many gall-producing insects and mites are parasitized by other insects, then fed upon by birds and animals. Simply removing and destroying fallen leaves with galls will help reduce the number of emerging adults, naturally reducing the next generation.
Scale – Various kinds of scale insects are oak pests. Scales are unusual insects in appearance because, as adults, they are relatively small and immobile, with no visible legs.
Control: A combination of natural enemies, including ladybugs and parasitic wasps, usually keep scales controlled.
Oakworms – Three related moths (Anisota senatoria, A. stigma, and A. virginiensis) occur in southern regions of the US. Their larvae are oak pests feeding heavily on the tree’s foliage.
Control: With a mild infestation (on young trees), caterpillars can be handpicked and destroyed. On larger trees, control can be more difficult.
Prevent catastrophic damages or injuries when disease causes your oak tree to die and fall. Knowing how to identify and treat oak tree diseases will help you keep your oak trees healthy and thriving.
fasttreeremovalatlanta.com gathered information on nine oak tree diseases, dying oak tree symptoms, and how to treat them before they get out of control.
Armillaria Root Rot
Armillaria root rot is caused by multiple species of Armillaria fungi. This disease causes slow or poor growth, chlorotic foliage, and the tree’s eventual death. Armillaria root rot can infect many deciduous and evergreen tree and shrub species. Trees infected with Armillaria root rot will have decayed roots and lower trunk. In trees with advanced infections are very likely to suffer windthrow or windbreak in storms.
Armillaria Root Rot Identification
Most of the damage caused by Armillaria root rot occurs below ground. However, these signs can indicate the disease’s presence:
Foliage emerges small or chlorotic (deciduous trees)
Dieback in upper portions of the crown
The tree may produce a stress crop (abnormally large production of seeds)
Large groups of light-colored mushrooms grow at the base of the tree or on the root flare
Thick, black fungal strands may grow in a net on infected trees and in the surrounding soil.
The tree will eventually die
Note: Any time mushrooms or conks are growing on a tree, it is cause for concern. Mushrooms require decaying material to grow and survive.
Armillaria Root Rot Treatment
The first line of defense for your trees is their health. The more optimal their conditions are for healthy growth, the better their chances are of remaining disease-free. Accomplish this by:
Mulching the soil around the tree’s base
Increase the tree’s watering schedule during drought
Protect trees from mechanical wounding (lawnmowers, weed whackers, and other equipment) Prevent foot and vehicle traffic from the tree’s root plate to prevent soil compaction
Remove unstable trees
Remove infected stumps and as many of the roots as possible
Tip: Have your trees assessed by a certified arborist to determine if they are infected with Armillaria fungi and determine their structural stability.
Oak Leaf Blister (Oak Leaf Curl)
Oak leaf blister is a fungal leaf disease caused by the fungus Taphrina caerulescens. During cool, wet growing seasons (spring), nearly all oak species are subject to this disease.
Oak Leaf Blister Identification
This disease displays itself very conspicuously by:
Producing yellowish-white circular, raised areas (blisters) on upper leaf surfaces
Likewise, producing a yellowish-brown depression (same size) on the lower leaf surface
Note: In cases where the disease is advanced, defoliation may occur. Leaf loss in early summer will sometimes result in a second leafing out in the same season. When defoliation occurs in late summer, the tree will not likely leaf out again until the following spring.
Watch this video to see examples of oak leaf blister.
Oak Leaf Blister Treatment
Unless your tree is growing under stressed conditions or has suffered multiple disease infections, oak leaf blister should not severely affect the overall health of your tree. However, this and other diseases should be treated to avoid weakening your tree’s health.
A single fungicide application in early spring at the time of bud-swelling (before bud break) should be adequate to curb oak leaf blister. You can apply a fungicide appropriate for Taphrina caerulescens with a power sprayer, thoroughly coating buds and twigs.
Chlorothalonil is an organic compound used as a broad spectrum, non-systemic fungicide recommended for controlling oak leaf blister.
Tip: Fungicide treatments lose their efficacy when applied after bud break.
Bacterial Leaf Scorch (BLS)
Bacterial leaf scorch is a tree disease caused by Xylella fastidiosa, which invades the xylem of susceptible trees. Leafhoppers and spittlebugs spread BLS from tree to tree by feeding on its xylem.
Bacterial Leaf Scorch Identification
Similar to oak leaf blister, BLS symptoms appear in the tree’s crown and are highly noticeable. Here’s what to look for:
Leaf margins turn brown
Signs appear on older, inner foliage and move outward to newer leaves
In most cases, browned, dying, or dead areas of the leaf are strikingly separated from green tissue by a yellow border
Note: Defoliation should not be used as an identification method as leaves may or may not drop after infection and death.
Watch this video to see the symptoms of bacterial leaf scorch.
Bacterial Leaf Scorch Treatment
As of now, there is no cure for bacterial leaf scorch. While diseased trees can persist for several years, they will eventually die. The following practices can extend the life and healthy appearance of your tree:
Seasonal pruning – remove dead wood
Watering practices – increase tree waterings during summer months or during drought
Tree removal – Remove infected trees and replace them with disease-resistant cultivars
Once your tree has burned leaf tips or margins, there’s no damage reversal at that wounded location. The only course of action is to prune out problem areas and encourage the tree’s healthy growth.
Note: The use of antibiotic injections may cause a temporary remission of symptoms but does not cure BLS.
Leaf Spot
Leaf spots can be caused by air pollutants, insects, and bacteria. Most are a result of infection by pathogenic fungi. Once inside the leaf, fungi continue to grow, and leaf tissue dies. Leaf spot fungi are most prolific during cool, wet weather in early spring. Leaf spot diseases are rarely a problem after warm, dry spring weather.
Leaf Spot Identification
Leaf spot occurs in the mid- to late spring months through the summer months, with irregular, dark brown spots developing between leaf veins. Trees with iron chlorosis or subject to other stressors (drought, infestation, disease, etc.) are likely to develop leaf spot.
Leaf Spot Treatment
While extremely unsightly, leaf spot is rarely lethal to trees and shrubs. Here are some simple measures to minimize or prevent a leaf spot outbreak:
Remove and destroy fallen leaves in the fall. The causal fungi or bacteria overwinter in fallen leaves.
Avoid overhead watering, spraying, and splashing.
Prune your trees with clean and sanitized equipment.
Chemical control should only be used as a last resort or when your trees are stressed from other diseases or pests. Consider the following:
If your tree’s leaves are already out and showing signs of leaf spot, chemical control will be ineffective. Wait until next spring.
Apply fungicide as buds swell in early spring.
Follow up with another fungicide application five to ten days after bud break.
A third application may be needed during a rainy spring.
To keep leaf spot from spreading, use a fungicide containing the active ingredient propiconazole. For those reluctant to use chemical control methods, spray with a mild solution of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) instead.
Note: The additional stress of leaf spot on an already distressed tree may result in permanent injury or death.
Oak Wilt
This fast-spreading lethal oak tree disease is caused by the pathogen Ceratocystis fagacearum. Oak wilt disease moves from tree to tree by the wood-boring oak beetle (Agrilus auroguttatus) or root grafts (underground roots connected between trees).
Oak Wilt Identification
The progression of oak wilt in red oak cultivars is swift, and the following symptoms indicate the tree’s impending death.
The tree starts to die from the top down.
Leaves will turn a pale green, wilt, and then suffer bronzing or tanning along the edges and inward to the main vein.
Leaves may droop, roll lengthwise and wilt.
Leaves may also die from the tip down.
As the disease progresses down the tree’s canopy, upper leaves will turn yellow and fall off. Green leaves will fall off too.
As the infection spreads, brown streaks develop in the sapwood.
Note: Streaking caused by the oak wilt fungus occurs as vascular tissue is plugged by chemicals produced by the tree – to stop the disease.
The progression of oak wilt in white oak cultivars is much slower, as these trees are more tolerant to the disease. They can become infected and persist for many years.
Watch this video for more on oak wilt.
Oak Wilt Treatment
The most effective oak wilt control measure is prevention. There is no treatment method to cure infected trees. Trees and their roots infected with oak wilt should be professionally removed and destroyed (preferably by fire) before the disease has a chance to spread.
Oak Anthracnose
Oak anthracnose is caused by a fungal pathogen called Apiognomonia errabunda (previously known as Apiognomonia quericina and Discula quercina)
Anthracnose infections typically begin in the lower canopy and progress upwards. This is because shade and moisture are more readily available in the lower canopy. Some infected foliage – on many oak species – will persist in the canopy over the winter months. Infection of newly developing foliage occurs the following spring.
Oak Anthracnose Identification
Anthracnose symptoms initially appear on foliage as being water-soaked, blighted, or as blotches along veins as new foliage develops.
As the disease develops, lesions dry, becoming gray-colored. Newer foliage can become distorted or shriveled, and defoliation may occur.
Mature foliage is more resistant to this disease. Having developed a thick, waxy cuticle, wounds on these leaves are often smaller.
Apiognomonia produces most spores asexually from fungal pads that rupture through the leaf’s surface and petiole. The fungal pads (acervuli) appear on the upper or lower surface of the leaves, along the veins.
Twig dieback may lead to secondary colonization by wood-boring insects and/or stem cankering fungi like Hypoxylon canker.
Disease outbreaks tend to subside by mid-summer (warmer & drier conditions). When cooler, wetter weather returns, a resurgence in disease development may occur.
When oak trees are weakened by other stresses, like boring insects, Armillaria root and butt rot, oak anthracnose symptoms can be amplified.
Watch this video to see how anthracnose can be identified.
Oak Anthracnose Treatment
A well cared for, and regularly fertilized Oak tree can develop a resistance to Anthracnose. There are many ineffective ways to treat oak anthracnose. However, fungicide applications performed by an arborist provide the most efficacious results.
In cases where 15% or more of the tree’s canopy has been lost or must be pruned, your arborist will likely recommend tree removal to prevent the disease from spreading.
Hypoxylon Canker
Biscogniauxia (Hypoxylon) atropunctatum quickly colonizes stressed trees. The Hypoxylon fungus is an opportunistic pathogen, and vigorous trees are ordinarily unaffected. Hypoxylon canker can affect any type of oak, including:
Black (Quercus velutina)
Blackjack (Quercus marilandica)
Laurel (Quercus laurifolia)
Live (Quercus virginiana)
Post (Quercus stellata)
Southern red (Quercus falcata)
Texas red (Quercus buckleyi)
Water (Quercus nigra)
White oaks (Quercus alba)
Note: This disease occurs on trees in many habitats like forests, pastures, parks, urban and suburban green spaces, and areas in development.
Hypoxylon Canker Identification
This disease appears as a dead lesion (canker) on limbs, branches, and trunks. The canker develops under the bark and eventually causes a white rot decay of the inner sapwood. This decay contributes to the tree’s mortality and renders the tree a significant danger to life and property. Consider the following symptoms:
Chlorotic (yellow), then brown leaves
Small stunted leaves and reduced twig growth
Thinning canopy
Dieback
Water sprouts (epicormic shoots) growing on surface roots, trunks, and large limbs
Dieback of feeder roots
White/stringy sapwood in the cankered area
The signs of the fungus include:
Early stages – Dark reddish-brown to olive-green shades of crusted fungal (stroma) tissue over the cankered area.
Later stages – Grey surface that eventually flakes off after 6 to 12 months to reveal a brown to black crusty material displaying a burnt appearance.
Advanced stages – Smaller cankerous patches merge into large vertical strips along the trunk and major limbs of the affected tree.
Watch this video to see what hypoxylon canker looks like.
Hypoxylon Canker Treatment
No known fungicides are available to cure or prevent Hypoxylon canker. Therefore, managing this disease depends more upon maintaining vigorous, healthy trees and preventing the contributors that lead to decline and stress. Healthy trees can resist this pathogen.
If a tree exhibits signs of stress, take prompt measures to reverse the condition before this, or a combination of pathogens can colonize the tree. Here’s how to deal with this disease when it appears on your oak:
Hypoxylon Canker present on Limbs and Branches – When this infects the limbs and branches (not the trunk) of a tree:
Infected limbs and branches should be carefully and completely pruned from the tree.
Prune infected limbs and branches in sections if needed to minimize disturbing infected areas.
All wood infected by any species of fungi should be handled as highly transmissible to surrounding trees and shrubs.
Never run these limbs and branches through a wood chipper.
This wood should be burned.
Hypoxylon Canker on Tree Trunks – When this disease has infected and appears on the tree trunk, there are no actions to prevent the decline and eventual death of the tree:
Hire a tree service to carefully remove the tree.
Never run a Hypoxylon canker infected tree through a wood chipper.
This wood should be burned.
Tip: Hire an arborist to evaluate, treat, and remove (when necessary) an oak tree infected with Hypoxylon canker disease. They are trained to handle such cases without spreading the disease.
Powdery Mildew on Oaks
There are many different species of powdery mildew causing fungi, and each species attacks a diverse range of trees and plants.
When powdery mildew begins to take over a tree or plant, a layer of mildew (made up of numerous spores) forms across the top of the foliage. These spores can then be carried to other plants by the wind. Powdery mildew can result in slowed growth and compromised fruit yield/quality when severe enough.
Powdery Mildew Identification
Powdery mildew is a simple disease to recognize. The first sign of infection is usually white, powdery spots or patches on the top side of leaves or on plant stems. Infected leaves turn yellow and twisted. Then, once the infection strengthens, new shoots and buds will develop with distorted growth.
For more on powdery mildew, watch this video.
Powdery Mildew Treatment
Here is how you can regain control when powdery mildew attacks your oak tree:
If possible, reduce or completely eliminate summer watering.
Let spring growth harden off (mature, expanded leaves are very resistant to this disease).
During the dormant season, prune out any “witches brooms” that formed during the growing season.
Tip: While summer drought is the best control, you can apply a chlorothalonil, sulfur, or copper-based fungicide during the winter months. If multiple applications are required, alternate between fungicides to prevent disease resistance.
Lichen
Lichen are unusual organisms composed of a fungus and an alga and/or a cyanobacterium symbiotically living together. The alga converts sunlight and carbon dioxide in the air to carbohydrates. The fungus surrounds the alga, protecting it from drying, and in turn, lives off of the food it provides.
Lichen Identification
Identifying lichen can be much more complicated than identifying vascular plants. Each lichen thallus is a complete microscopic world with unique characteristics separating it from other lichen.
When identifying lichen, keep in mind that one species of fungus can have two different forms if paired with two different “photobionts.” It is not common, but it does happen.
Lichen can appear green to gray-green leafy or crusty growths on the trunk and branches of trees typically in poor health.
Watch this video for more lichen information.
Lichen Treatment
Lichen will gradually disappear as tree health is restored – as foliage thickens, less sunlight gets to the lichen, inhibiting them from producing food.
Products containing copper sulfate sprayed on lichen will kill the fungus portion of the organism. Copper-sulfate is best used as a treatment for tree lichen from late spring through early fall. Such applications are not effective in cooler weather.
Note: Lichen pose no severe threat to trees. One of the ways lichen directly benefit humans is through their capacity to absorb everything in their atmosphere, especially pollutants.
Disclaimer: As with any/all chemicals, carefully read and follow the manufacturer’s directions/instructions before handling them or hire an arborist for such applications.
Tips for Caring for Oak Trees
Oak tree neglect can lead to a tree limb falling on a car, or worse, an entire tree falling on your house. However, if you properly care for your oak tree by pruning it, using oak tree fertilizer, and watering it the correct amount, you will help your tree remain healthy and better able to stave off harmful diseases.
The following are tips to help you better care for your oak tree:
Provide your oak tree with full sun
Provide your oak tree with well-drained soil Deciduous oak trees need regular pruning
Mature oaks only need pruning to remove dead or weakened branches
Young oak trees need fertilizer for growth, while mature oaks need fertilizer for health
Avoid mechanical injury to your oaks during favorable conditions for infection (typically in spring and early summer)
Apply tree wound dressings or paint when out-of-season pruning must be performed to prevent disease transmission.
If you’re handling oaks compromised or killed by oak wilt, root rot, or other diseases, remove and properly destroy them to prevent infecting other oaks.
Common Oak Tree Diseases
In this article, you discovered information on several oak tree diseases, how to identify them, and how to treat them before they get out of hand.
Knowing how to identify and treat oak tree diseases will enable you to take swift action to stop the disease and prevent the decline or death of your oak tree.
Allowing diseases to develop without control measures further weakens a tree’s defenses allowing multiple pathogens to successfully attack, debilitate, and kill your tree.
Prevent catastrophic damage by knowing when your oak tree is dying. Knowing how to identify when an oak tree is troubled or in decline will help you save it or remove it before causing costly property or personal injury.
fasttreeremovalatlanta.com gathered the following information about dying oak tree symptoms, the diseases, the infestations, and other conditions to help you determine whether to treat or remove your oak tree.
Signs of A Dying Oak Tree
The following are indicators that your oak tree is dying and what actions should be taken to save your tree or remove it.
Tree Boring Insect Infestations
Boring insects like the southern pine beetle, red-headed ash borer, red oak borer, Asiatic oak weevil, and carpenterworms can be identified by the following:
Small rounded exit holes
Crown and branch dieback
Deeply cracked Bark
Cankers
Foliage chlorosis and wilting
Bulging bark (above the galleries)
Sightings of adults feeding on the tree’s foliage
Higher than normal squirrel activity
Woodpecker activity
Many of these visible symptoms occur due to hydraulic failure or girdling caused by the boring insect’s tunneling through the tree’s cambium (xylem and phloem, which transport nutrients and water from the crown to the roots and back).
Note: If left unchecked, many boring insects will re-infest the host tree season after season until killing it.
Tree Boring Insect Solutions
Typically, by the time a boring insect infestation is discovered, it is exceptionally challenging to save the infested tree. The following should be done to contain the infestation:
Set baited traps to catch emerging adults
Chemically treat uninfected trees with residual insecticides such as carbaryl or pyrethroid insecticides such as bifenthrin or permethrin
Carefully prune and destroy all affected branches
When the infestation reaches the tree’s trunk, removal may be the only option (topical sprays and treatments will have no effect)
Tree boring insects typically attack the trees that are already in decline. You can help neighboring trees by promoting their health and vigorous growth.
Tip: Don’t try to eliminate a boring insect infestation alone. Contract an ISA certified arborist to guide you through your options.
Tree Fungal Infections
Healthy oak trees are highly resistant to fungal infections. That said, when an oak (or any other tree species) finds itself stressed, fungi can successfully attack the tree, making it its host. The following symptoms may indicate an advanced fungal infection:
Cankers (discolored areas or depressed places on the bark)
Bark swelling
Twig and branch dieback
Partial or total crown chlorosis (yellowing)
Carpenter ants nesting in the tree (they don’t consume the wood, rather they remove decaying wood to form galleries within the heartwood)
Mushroom Conks (fruiting structures) growing from the trunk or root flare
Boring insect infestation••
**Ambrosia, oak wilt, and fusarium are examples of fungi using boring insects as their vector.
Tree Fungal Infection Solutions
Healthy trees are quite capable of compartmentalizing (sealing off) fungal infections. However, when a tree is stressed from drought, nutritional deficiencies, infestations, etc., infections can run wild and quickly overcome the tree. The following can be done to contain a fungal infection:
Carefully prune and destroy (burn) infected limbs and branches (avoid pruning activities from mid-April to mid-July to reduce tree disease infection and spread)
Sanitize all equipment before and after use on infected trees
Nurture the tree, watering, mulching, and fertilizing it to encourage vigorous growth
Avoid overhead watering or splashing water which can spread infections from tree to tree
Use an insecticide to halt carpenter ant activities
Apply fungicides as recommended by an ISA certified arborist
Treat surrounding healthy trees and vegetation with copper fungicides (to avoid the infection’s spread)
Tip: For carpenter ant infestations, mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle, then spray the mixture into a carpenter ant nest. This should eradicate the entire colony.
Note: Most cases of fungal infections producing mushrooms on the trunk or roots or resulting from boring insect infestations will likely require removing the tree.
Brittle Tree Bark and Cracks
As a tree dies, bark may begin to slough off the tree. Verticle cracks may also form along the trunk or along limbs. Observe the following:
When cracks in tree bark are spotted, inspect them to see if the crack has developed into the tree’s wood.
Identify cracks that run into external or internal cavities.
Note: As a tree dies, it dries out, leading to such cracks, bark loss, and severe instability. Trees in this condition may suddenly topple, especially during storms.
Brittle Tree Bark and Crack Solutions
When sloughing tree bark and cracks are isolated in limbs and branches, you can do the following:
Immediately prune out these branches
Have a tree risk assessment performed by an ISA certified arborist
The urgency to remove this dead wood is to prevent the tree from dropping these limbs on its own (cladoptosis), potentially causing catastrophic damages.
Note: Sometimes, removing dead or dying branches is enough to save your tree or, at least, buy it some time. However, once this condition spreads to the tree’s trunk, it is better to have the tree removed before it falls or collapses under its own weight.
The Tree Is Leaning
Trees are highly efficient at maintaining balance throughout their life. However, severe weather events, root diseases (root rot), or irregular growth can cause a tree to destabilize and lean. Consider the following actions:
Stake or brace the tree, slowly winching it back to an upright growth pattern (this often works for younger trees)
Remove the tree before it completely destabilizes
Tip: Corrective actions should be taken under an arborists supervision.
Note: Mature trees that have toppled or suffered windthrow in severe weather or winds are highly unlikely to ever recover.
How To Save a Dying Oak Tree
Sick trees will often display similar signs that a dying or dead tree would, but not as widespread. Not all trees displaying these conditions need to be removed immediately. Some of these conditions can be treated, prolonging the tree’s life.
The chances of saving your oak tree are reliant on your swift action, the amount of damage the tree has sustained, and your contacting an ISA certified arborist as soon as you detect any signs that your tree is in trouble.
Performing regular tree care and maintenance like pruning, disease and pest prevention measures, and correcting poor structural growth or damage will improve your tree’s health.
Dying Oak Tree Solutions
In this article, you discovered information on how to detect the symptoms of a dying oak tree, including the diseases, infestations, and conditions contributing to your tree’s declining condition.
Taking swift action to identify, treat, and get professional help for your tree significantly increases the chances of saving it.
Ignoring the signs of a declining tree leaves it vulnerable to infestations, infections, and structural problems that will lead to its rapid decline and death.
Without trees, there’s no environment for life on earth. Every living creature is affected by the health of the world’s tree population.
Trees influence everything from the environment to our physical health. As the world’s tree population diminishes, ignorance and inaction are no longer viable options concerning our forest and urban tree population.
fasttreeremovalatlanta.com gathered information on the importance of trees in our forests and urban settings for the environment, wildlife, and human health.
Importance of Our Forests
The importance of our forests to the health of our planet cannot be overstated. One of the primary functions of trees is to consume CO2 from the atmosphere and release oxygen to it through the process of photosynthesis.
In fact, our forests are responsible for 35% of the oxygen used by the Earth’s inhabitants, soil stabilization, flood control, fresh water purification, and cooling the planet.
Forest trees play an intricate role in keeping the planet cool, by regulating the exchange of solar energy and water between the planet’s surface and atmosphere, trees are one of the planet’s most significant defense mechanisms in stopping global warming.
Of the approximately 3 trillion trees growing today, 15 billion are felled, die, or are lost in wildfires each year. If these numbers are left unaddressed, our planet will lose its last tree in roughly two hundred years. Then, slowly, all life will expire as the world becomes inhospitable.
Trees in the urban setting are fundamental for healthy living. The following are some of the benefits from a healthy urban tree canopy:
Improved Air Quality – Besides the oxygen they produce, trees absorb and store carbon dioxide. Trees also act as a filter by trapping and holding impurities, pollutants, and dust.
Increased Property Value – Because of their aesthetic value to a property, trees create curb appeal which translates to higher property value.
Boosted Wildlife Habitat – As squirrels, birds and other wildlife enter the urban setting, it is the trees that create microhabitats for them to seek refuge, acquire sustenance, and thrive.
Environmental Control and Regulation – Mature trees within a city efficiently absorb CO2, reduce wind speeds, moisten the air through evapotranspiration, and can significantly reduce the temperature in a city by reflecting solar energy.
Cities large and small across the nation recognize the need for a significant canopy cover and have developed or adopted tree ordinances which protect the health and population of their trees.
The most straightforward way to make a difference and improve the world you live in is to plant and care for a tree. If everyone did this annually, there would be 75 billion new trees within ten years.
Trees and the Environment
Trees are the stabilizers of the planet’s ecosystem. As forests return moisture to the air, they are fundamental in the formation of clouds, helping to regulate weather patterns, and as previously mentioned, participate in the production of breathable air for all surface life on the planet.
Trees act like scrubbers, removing pollutants from the soil and air and help purify freshwater streams and reservoirs.
As trees grow up, they also grow down. Tree roots are fundamental in the prevention of soil erosion and flooding.
While wildfires can be life-threatening and cause massive devastation, the soil left behind is carbon and nutrient rich.
It takes time, but most tree species are able to repopulate areas affected by wildfires successfully. In fact, some tree species like the quaking aspen depend on such disturbances to grow and thrive.
How Do Trees Help Birds and Animals?
Animals, insects, lichen, fungi, and even bacteria rely on trees for habitation, refuge, and food.
In both forests and urban settings, migrating species of birds will often seek out the same trees to nest in year after year. Some owls and woodpeckers will take up residence as the trees age and offer hollow spaces in their trunks for nesting.
A single mature tree is capable of sustaining several hundred different species all at once.
Health Benefits of Trees
Besides all of the amazing things trees do to help stabilize our atmosphere and make it possible for us to live, there is another side to trees that is not spoken much of in today’s society.
For several millennia, trees have been treasured by indigenous people for their medicinal values. Species like oak, pine, and birch were once highly prized for the healing qualities of the leaves, bark, roots, and sap.
Pine trees were regularly used to:
• Improve Blood Circulation
• Improve Vision
• Improve Skin and Hair Health
• Promote Respiratory Health
• Boost the Immune System
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The Importance of Trees to Mankind
The fate of all life on our planet is intertwined with the survival of our tree population. Without trees to regulate and maintain the environment, there would be no life on Earth.
In this article, you discovered the importance of trees in forest and urban settings, how they affect the environment, wildlife, and our health.
As climate change and global warming become more of a threat to our planet’s ecosystem, ignorance and inaction must be replaced by attention and care for our urban and forest tree populations to survive.
If you could grow or plant a tree that helps fight cancer, would you do it? Before there was modern medicine, trees offered mankind natural remedies to ailments through their leaves, bark, roots, and sap.
Among the herbs, and vegetables you grow in your backyard, some trees should be considered. Of the many tree species with medicinal properties, there are four that stand out and offer incredible natural benefits.
fasttreeremovalatlanta.com gathered medicinal and healing property information for oak trees, pine trees, birch trees, and slippery elm trees.
Medicinal Tree Bark
For all of the trees in this article, there are many medicinal properties contained just below the bark (in a layer called the cambium). However, stripping the bark from any tree can lead to its decline in health, insect infestation, fungal infection, and death.
Removing rings of bark from around the circumference of a tree can cause girdling. Girdling is the strangulation of a tree, it occurs when nutrients can no longer flow freely through the cambium layer either by applied constant pressure (ropes and vines) or physical removal.
To avoid girdling or the decline or death of your tree, select a branch to prune back, and use the bark from that branch.
Oak Tree Properties and Benefits
The Oak tree is a symbol of strength and endurance which has been chosen as the national tree of many countries. For as long as humans have walked the earth, oak trees have been a source of food, medicine, ceremonies, and building. Many traditions still consider the oak tree to be sacred.
From Native Americans to European herbalists, the oak tree has been used to treat a variety afflictions such as:
When made into a tea, oak tree bark serves as an effective diuretic, treats loose stools, ulcers, diarrhea, and can be gargled to soothe a sore throat.
When the dried inner bark is ground into a powder, it can be made into a paste by adding water, which can then be applied to the skin to treat poison ivy, burns, or wounds.
Pine Tree Properties and Benefits
The pine tree being one of the most abundant and useful tree species on our planet, is capable of providing food, medicine, and shelter.
Tea – A handful of pine needles steeped in boiling water for 5 minutes creates a tea packed with vitamin C.
While the majority of pine needles are safe to consume, the following species are poisonous and should NOT be consumed:
• Norfolk Island Pine • Yew • Western Yellow Pine • Ponderosa Pine (Bull Pine) • Blackjack Pine
Vitamins and Antioxidants – Vitamin C is an essential component of the human immune system with powerful antioxidant properties which help in the prevention of disease and chronic illness. The consumption of dried pine bark or tea from its needles provides an incredibly higher amount of vitamin C than found in any other tree species.
Other antioxidants found in pine bark and needles are carotenoids and vitamin A. This combination, when consumed can provide the following benefits:
• Promotes Respiratory Health • Boosts the Immune System • Improves Blood Circulation • Helps Prevent Cataracts • Improves Vision • Promotes Skin and Hair Health
Pine Nuts – All varieties of pine nuts are edible. As with the bark and needles, pine nuts are packed with antioxidants, as well as being rich in healthy fats.
Birch Tree Properties and Benefits
Besides being an incredibly beautiful species, birch trees with their thin papery bark and colorful canopy offer much more than an appealing aesthetic.
This species has a multitude of uses and medicinal properties that most people are unaware of. The following are some of those benefits:
Birch Leaf Tea – When birch leaves are steeped in boiling water, the resulting tea can be used to help heal sores in the mouth, and assist in the healing of gout, kidney, and bladder problems.
Birch Bark Tea – Tea made from birch bark is an excellent detoxifier which serves as a laxative helping remove waste from the body. This tea also helps relieve the pain and discomfort caused by rheumatism, helps clear up skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema, and reduce fluid retention.
Birch Sap – For hundreds of years, birch sap has been consumed as a health tonic and nutritional supplement. With a taste similar to maple syrup, the consumption of birch sap presents detoxifying, cleansing, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Betulinic acid is a compound found in birch sap with anti-tumor properties which help fight specific forms of cancer.
Researchers from Romania’s Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy tested betulinic acid against cervical cancer cells, breast cancer cells, and skin cancer cells. The team was able to confirm that the compound was able to halt the growth of both skin and cervical cancer cells.
Birch Water – Made from birch sap, birch water is a slightly sweet, thin syrup-like drink loaded with vitamins, proteins, amino acids, minerals, and offers many health benefits.
Slippery Elm Tree Properties and Benefits
A relative of the popular American elm, slippery elm was not a popular selection for landscaping. This species only reach heights of 50 to 80 feet, while the tree develops a vase-like shape, it is not as eye-catching or graceful as the American elm.
Slippery elm gets its name from the trees inner bark which is mucilaginous (having a viscous or gelatinous consistency). Due to its soothing properties, it was widely used:
• As a poultice to heal wounds • As a wound dressing • For the treatment of infected or swollen glands • As an eye-wash for sore eyes • To make a tea taken as a physic • To treat sore throats • As a laxative • To heal coughs and bronchial ailments
The trees you grow may keep you well. Before modern medicine, mankind had tapped into the healing power of trees and plants using remedies made from their leaves, bark, roots, and sap.
In this article, you discovered the medicinal and healing properties of oak, pine, birch, and slippery elm trees.
Planting a medicinal tree in your backyard landscape adds diversity to your yard’s ecosystem while offering year-round beauty and some natural remedies to basic ailments.
Disclaimer: All possible measures have been taken to ensure the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, and authenticity of the above information; however, fasttreeremovalatlanta.com does not take nor assume any liability. Using any of the information provided by this article is solely at the readers’ discretion. In case of any medical emergencies or persistent health issues, fasttreeremovalatlanta.com advise you to seek qualified medical attention before putting to use any advice or tips given by any third party.
