White oaks dying

[btmsx]

I live in western S.C., across the Savannah river, near Augusta GA. I have numerous white oaks on my property, dying from the top down. Has anyone seen this before or know what is causing it? I dont see any indication of infestation or ants around the bases.

[SwampDonkey]

Was there fill or top soil added to the site from landscaping yard work or are these forest grown?

[mrnero]

I live in western S.C., across the Savannah river, near Augusta GA. I have numerous white oaks on my property, dying from the top down. Has anyone seen this before or know what is causing it? I dont see any indication of infestation or ants around the bases.

We have the same thing happening to hardwoods in this area. I was told by a few people, it was from acid rain. I don't know if that's true or not !! but its logical.

[metalspinner]

I have noticed that most of our white oaks seem to be dying in town, too. :'(   The edges of the leaves turn brown and the trees just look sick.  These are mature trees as I see from 12" to 36"+ diameter trees effected.  Some say the drought we have been in the last couple of years is doing it.  But many of the trees are showing these symptoms this year where we are ahead of our average rain totals. :-\

[reberly]

My red oaks have done the same and I am wondering about oak wilt since it went from tree to tree the past 5 years down the shoreline.
Rich

[LeeB]

Oak wilt is slow to spread, but once it infects a tree it will kill it in a matter of weeks. Look at the leaves and see if the leaves show a pronounced veining with the rest of the leave turning yellow. Oak wilt does not particularly affect white oaks. Mainly the reds and Live oak.

[woodtroll]

It seems to me that trees take awhile to recover from drought, a few good years. The trees may be stressed from the previous years, and be susceptible to other pathogenesis and stress in their weakened state.
Just a thought.

[btmsx]

I dont see any signs of desiese. They just start losing there leaves from the very top and each year, come spring, there is less on the tops. I can tell the limbs with no leaves are dead. The one I just cut down, about 12" in Dia, took 3 years to completely die. Graduslly, from the top down. The soil hasent been disturbed in many a moon.

[Ron Scott]

May be the Two-Lined Chestnut bore. Have your local CD forester or Extension Service varify it.

http://www.rainbowtreecare.com/pdf/Two-LinedChestnutBorer.pdf