Tag oak decline

Oak wilt

Common Tree Issues to Look Out for

by Texas Tree Surgeons Tree Owner's Guide

To keep your trees healthy it is recommended to have your tree assessed by an ISA Certified Arborist every year. They are able to spot issues that a homeowner may miss. Below are some common issues to intercept before they become costly problems for your trees.

Structural

Trees may have natural structural issues or may develop them in response to stress or other factors. Aside from breaking and falling limbs, trees can also develop instabilities in the root system.

Physical damage

Everything from nearby landscape maintenance to reckless driving can be a source of physical damage to a tree. Generally, the more damage is done to the bark and the layers just underneath it, the more impact damage will have on a tree’s health.

While trees cannot “heal” in the same way that animals can, there are ways that trees respond to wounds and can minimize the internal damage. A tree’s wound response does not usually need human intervention, and applying wraps or compounds is not usually necessary or advised.

Weather/Environment

North Texas is known for unpredictable, and often severe, weather. Storms, droughts, freezes, and high winds are just a few of the weather events we are used to. Properly preparing trees for the weather, and dealing with the effects of severe events is an important part of caring for trees.

Insects/Pests

Depending on the species, age, and location of a tree, it may be a target for many different insects, arachnids, and other pests. Some that are comon in North Texas are:

Diseases/fungi

As with pests, a tree’s susceptibility to disease depends on several factors. Some of the common North Texas tree diesases are:

Cycle of decline

No matter the particular type, all trees suffer from stress, pest activity, and potential for diseases. The factors contributing to a tree’s ability to recover from stress, damage, or infection range from the weather at a given moment to the genetic makeup of the particular tree.

Trees with certain underlying predispositions may react very differently to stress when compared to trees without those underlying factors.

Trees that have suffered recent damage may be less able to fight off an infection.

When considering the health of a tree, it is important to keep in mind the “cycle of decline,” the recurrent effect of internal and external factors have on a tree’s ability to maintain vigor and health.

Physical damage or poor soil conditions do not only have an immediate effect on a tree’s health, but factor in whenever a new stressor presents itself.

Failure to address these factors can hasten tree decline and death.

Additional Resources

The International Society of Arboriculture has guide of Tree Hazards

At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our community! We hope this blog on common tree issues will help prevent tree failure. We have additional resources on our North Texas Tree Owner’s Guide. If you would like immediate assistance with your trees please contact us today.

North Texas Tree Owner’s Guide

Why Are My Oak Trees Turning Brown?

by Texas Tree Surgeons Ask Texas Tree Surgeons, Tree Health Care

As the summer heat drags on, we start to get calls about trees “looking bad.” Recently, for example, we have been seeing general decline of trees, especially oak trees, in the Plano area. In a densely-populated suburban area like Plano, there are many potential causes for trees showing signs of stress, displaying yellowing or browning leaves, or dropping limbs. While some issues may be symptoms of a disease, much of the oak decline we are seeing is, unfortunately, an inevitable result of the environment the trees live in.

Plano, Texas’ Urban Forest

Plano, Texas, is a great example of a community that loves its trees and values the beauty an urban forest can bring. As the city has matured, so have its trees, and many of them are now magnificent. However, when the community was planned and the trees were planted, developers depended heavily on different species of oaks: live oaks, red (Shumard) oaks, post oaks, and others. While these oaks are hardy, native Texas trees, any environment that is heavily populated by one species is susceptible to certain risks. The proliferation of oak wilt in North Texas is exacerbated by the heavy concentration of oaks in the area. Even without an outside stressor like the oak wilt fungus, any monoculture will slowly start to decline as competition for resources affects all members of a species, without the diversity necessary to replenish what was used.

The causes of oak decline in Plano run deep into the soil and deep into the history of the community. Before Collin County developed into the elegant mix of residential, commercial, and industrial areas that it is today, most of the land was used for farming and ranching. Agricultural land becomes exhausted of its nutrients after long periods of use. Moving from heavy agricultural use directly into construction doesn’t give the land time to recover. Heavy construction activity also leads to soil compaction, and if mixed fill is used, precious soil space is taken up by rocks, cement, and other inorganic material. Decades of growth and the spread of structures and concrete have further challenged the ability of Plano soils to renew themselves. Changing weather patterns in the last several years, periods of drought followed by flooding, have stressed the soil and plants even more. As turf grass has proliferated, much of the natural process that would introduce nutrients to the soil through decaying organic matter has been interrupted.

What Can I Do About Oak Decline?

While oak decline is an inevitability for many Plano oaks, the situation is not completely hopeless; there is much that tree owners can do to help restore their trees’ vitality:

  • Proper Mulching
  • Proper Watering
  • Reducing Competition
    • Turf grass, ground cover, concrete, and over planting of trees can all contribute to nutrient competition.

However, there are some issues that may be beyond remedy:

  • Poor Tree Stock
    • If the tree was sourced from a tree farm with weak stock, or with trees that had been exposed to pathogens before, it may have been at a disadvantage from the start. A plant health care program may be able to ameliorate some issues, but not all.
  • Improper Planting
    • Planting issues can be corrected if the tree has not been in the ground more than a few years. The tree can possibly be re-planted, or root zone excavation can be performed to identify other root stability issues, such as girdling roots. A certified arborist can determine if any corrective efforts are possible for your particular tree.

Contacting a certified arborist to assess your trees is necessary to properly identify oak decline and address the underlying issues, not just the symptoms. Insect activity may need more involved care than just spraying a surface insecticide. Browning or yellowing leaves may be a sign of many issues: fungal root infection, insect activity, or herbicidal poisoning, and don’t simply mean that you need to water more. A certified arborist is able to evaluate the tree and its surroundings as a whole, not simply one component. An effective tree health care program involves many components: care modification, fertilization, soil management, proper trimming, pesticidal application. To preserve the value of an urban forest like Plano’s, certified arborists are key.

At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees, and we love our customers, in Plano and all over North Texas. If you live in Plano, and want more information about oak decline and what may be affecting your trees, let us know! If you’re not in Plano, don’t worry! We are happy to come and take a look at your trees to evaluate their health and give you the information necessary to keep them thriving for years. As always, let us know if you have any questions or concerns about trees!