# What's happening to my white oak?



## Alaby (Aug 22, 2013)

Have a love/hate relationship with this tree. It is messy in spring and fall,provides cooling shade in summer and it must be very old. Now seems to be dying,branches have few leaves. It is a white oak,any ideas?


----------



## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Check for Moths?


----------



## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

Be grateful it's not a Sycamore or as I like to call them 'stickamores'. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that you I have to pickup branches twice daily.


----------



## anagranite (Oct 23, 2010)

Might be oak wilt. I have some in my woods on Red Oaks.









Oak wilt: Diagnosing and preventing


Proper diagnosis of a wilt disease in oaks may prevent loss of surrounding trees.




www.canr.msu.edu


----------



## Whitetail Freak (Nov 10, 2008)

stickman1978 said:


> Check for Moths?


Caterpillars


----------



## John Hine (Mar 31, 2019)

Gypsy moth caterpillars, the got one of mine too


----------



## Alaby (Aug 22, 2013)

I haven't seen any caterpillars or moths,doesn't mean their not there. Reading the oak wilt article it could be that. I'll keep an eye on it,thanks for everyones input.


----------



## John Hine (Mar 31, 2019)

Mine got hit hard last year with Gypsy’s & it’s suffering this year.


----------



## 22 Chuck (Feb 2, 2006)

Has there been/s there small parts of leaves falling constantly?? Look on the ground beneath for small pars of leaves, those parts that fall as worms eat away..If youve trimmed lately or last summer during the summer could be oak leaf wilt.


----------



## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

You could Google “Oak Anthracnose” ( but that is usually a problem in wetter Springs, iirc

MSU Extension probably has a handy list of potential problems for Oak trees in Michigan; they have an office in every county in MI.


----------



## Alaby (Aug 22, 2013)

I've only trimmed a few branches that were overhanging the house,that was earlier this spring.I have noticed leaves laying on the lawn, I'll have to look and see if they look like they've been eaten. There aren't any oaks nearby.


----------



## dmanciero (Jan 8, 2022)

Whitetail Freak said:


> Caterpillars


534 species of moth and butterfly living in the white oak


----------



## dmanciero (Jan 8, 2022)

Alaby said:


> I've only trimmed a few branches that were overhanging the house,that was earlier this spring.I have noticed leaves laying on the lawn, I'll have to look and see if they look like they've been eaten. There aren't any oaks nearby.


do not trim on any oak until a hard freeze at least a hard freeze, could have gave it oak wilt.


----------



## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

That is very true about not cutting on Oak outside of the dormant season. One up side here is that the White Oaks are far less susceptible to the Wilt than the Red Oaks.


----------



## sparky18181 (Apr 17, 2012)

PunyTrout said:


> Be grateful it's not a Sycamore or as I like to call them 'stickamores'. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that you I have to pickup branches twice daily.


I have one and the size of some of the branches that fall off will hurt someone if they happen to be under it. City Forestor told me I could move if I didn’t like the tree. I then told him to get the F off my property I ll be going to the city council meeting with a trash can full of the branches and dump them at the podium. Those trees are garbage


----------



## Whitetail Freak (Nov 10, 2008)

dmanciero said:


> 534 species of moth and butterfly living in the white oak


Which turn into caterpillars that eat the leaves. Right now it’s gypsy moths defoliating the trees. Oak wilt is around also.


----------



## eucman (Jan 24, 2009)

Whitetail Freak said:


> Which turn into caterpillars that eat the leaves. Right now it’s gypsy moths defoliating the trees. Oak wilt is around also.


Dmanciero is referring to the number of native butterflies and moth that are hosted by oak trees. An important part of the lifecycle of neotropical migrants like warblers, tanagers etc. 
That type of mild defoliation a big old oak has evolved to tolerate. The complete defoliation by non native caterpillars like gypsy moth is a different story


----------



## eucman (Jan 24, 2009)

Alaby said:


> Have a love/hate relationship with this tree. It is messy in spring and fall,provides cooling shade in summer and it must be very old. Now seems to be dying,branches have few leaves. It is a white oak,any ideas?
> View attachment 839686
> View attachment 839687


Nice big mature oak! It may be beginning to die back possibly from two lines chestnut borer. 
A skilled arborist would be able to climb up there and determine that.
A symptom of oak wilt is a sudden drop of leaves. It sounds like it never put any out on that limb this year.


----------



## Alaby (Aug 22, 2013)

dmanciero said:


> do not trim on any oak until a hard freeze at least a hard freeze, could have gave it oak wilt.


Thanks,didn;t know that


----------



## Hoytman5 (Feb 1, 2008)

PunyTrout said:


> Be grateful it's not a Sycamore or as I like to call them 'stickamores'. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that you I have to pickup branches twice daily.


My son has a large Sycamore in his yard so I know your pain. Beautiful tree but man......


----------

