The Forestry Forum

I have had multiple landowners approach me, asking why their oak trees are dying-- I have not personally noticed anything out of the usual-- but I am curious what it could be that they are seeing. Could it be mainly attributed to spongy moth? Or is it a combination of the many fungal pathogens that have been around for decades?

All is fine on my little section of heaven in north-central WV.  I'll be curious to hear others' observations...

Could be any number of things. Where are you located? White oaks or red oaks? Do you have any pictures? What are the symptoms? 

Might want to check on any herbicide spraying in the area,  I noticed where one county in Missouri has had their peach crops decimated from farmers use of the herbicide concoctions they are using now since roundup ready in not working like it did.  I think I read where one producer sued and was awarded 225 million.  Alot of people fail to realize how sensitive hardwoods are to herbicides and fail to account for volitization  and drift which can occur for days on end, and settle at night in valleys, hillsides.  Some Missouri state forests report widespread damage from this.

I tend to see oaks die pretty fast after skidder chains chew into the root mat. Probably introduces a lot of bacterial pathogens is my guess.

We get a lot of late summer blight any time its wet and warm.  The south east is very fungal.