Is my tree screwed?

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

quercus ruba - i noticed bad cracks forming last summer along with discolored bark. this summer it‘s leaking black goo. what what’s going on? can it recover?

Featured Answer

mntreegrower

5 years ago

Was it drier and windier than normal for you this last winter? Are bur oaks native to your area? And what size are these slow to leaf trees?

The only oak that has given me trouble this spring was swamp white. I have many that were slow to leaf and still don't look that great. It took extensive watering and a couple soaking rains just to get them to start pushing leaves a few weeks back.

I suspect you'll know sooner than later on that red. If the health is ailing, the top should start to reflect it by late summer.

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Comments (7)

UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
5 years ago
Doesn't look good to me. Is this species in some way marginal for the area?
L Clark (zone 4 WY) thanked UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
L Clark (zone 4 WY)
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Yeah probably not too suitable. i dont know of another in my area. it was an experiment and it’s done very excellently so far so this sucks
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
5 years ago
what do you do to your trees after dark?

i wouldnt hold out too much hope .. and in tree time.. counted in decades ... if might take a lot of years to die .. or next winter ... who knows ...

so it boils down to 2 things ... first.. do you really want to look at it out front there ... it would probably irritate the beegeebees out of me.. every day i pulled into and out of the driveway ... it would be different out back on the acreage ...

and second.. make your decision before you have to pay to have it done ... which is quite a few years down the line.. if you have that much patience ...

ken
L Clark (zone 4 WY) thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
bengz6westmd
5 years ago
Oaks in general have a pretty good recovery ability. There's a wound/canker underneath the bark. It may or may not heal -- up to you what to do.
L Clark (zone 4 WY) thanked bengz6westmd
mntreegrower
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
How does the top currently look? Is the tree pushing good growth so far this year? Nice healthy leaves? An quick internet search of red oaks and cankers yielded some past articles on your neighbors in Colorado having quite a bit of trouble with red oak cankers. I don't know how different your climate is to there though, but perhaps the tree, being non-native, is more highly susceptible in your region of the country.

Just curious.....have you been trunk protecting your red oak during the winter? I have to protect my young trees here or some will scald like a maple from the winter sun. I've seen trees with the exact look/discoloration of yours but they've never had the sap leak like that.
L Clark (zone 4 WY) thanked mntreegrower
L Clark (zone 4 WY)
Original Author
5 years ago
The leaves are pushing nicely, but were very late coming out and some are still breaking bud. Many trees are late this year, for example bur oak, which is just barely starting to break bud, lol. We had super cold weather this year.

Yes, I wrapped it this winter after it sustained injury the previous winter. Climate here is similar, but dryer, much windier and 8-10 degrees cooler than the Denver area. So much harsher