Field notes - Northern Red Oak

Northern Red Oak
11" DBH
25' H

Diagnosis-

1. Oak skeletonizer
2. Fungal canker
3. Environmental stress

Oak with internal section die back.

  Signs of an Oak Skeletonizer

•  Leaves are rolled and stuck together in a type of nest.
• Inside the leaves are a yellow worm like caterpillar.
• Leaves are stripped leaving only the veins.

Nest from an Oak Skeletonizer

In the center is an Oak Skeletonizer

Oak Skeletonizer

The stripped leaf from an Oak Skeletonizer.

A nest from an Oak Skeletonizer

• The under side of the leaves are covered in the eggs of the Oak Skeletonizer.

Signs of an oak fungal infection

• The bark at 10' to 15' has lichen and moss. 
• At 3' is a oozing fungal canker.
• Internal die back.

Signs of Evironmental stress.

• The leaves falling off the tree. 
•  Piping for irrigation cut to close to the base if the tree.
• Ground cover absorbing nutrients and water needed for the tree. 
• The soil was very dry. 

Treatment-

• Oak Skeletonizer- spray with Bifenthin (Talstar)
•  Fungal Infection - Basal injections of Reliant
• Enviromental stress- Fertilization, Aeration and Vertical mulching.

Armillaria Root Rot in Pin Oak

I recently examined a Pin Oak 45 feet high and 13 inches DBH. This tree had wilted misshapen leaves with some leaves on the ends of the branches that were over sized and misshapen.

The bark had small off white mushrooms (2mm)  in patches coming from cracks in the bark.

The soil was very moist with moss covering it. There were small yellow/ gold mushrooms growing from the soil at the base of the tree.

Diagnosis- Early stages of  Armillaria Root Rot

Treatment - Aeration and Canopy thinning

Pesticides - No known effective fungicides. Relaint systemic fungicide can be used to prevent any further fungi.