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Learn About Your Oak Trees!

tree with missing bark

Who doesn’t love trees?! They provide us with oxygen, shade, they clean our air, prevent soil erosion, and provide us with so many other benefits. An added bonus, they are beautiful to look at! That’s why we want to help you ensure that your trees are nice and strong and healthy.

 

Have you ever heard of sudden oak death wilt? It can be a challenge to tell the difference between the two so we are providing you fascinating and helpful information! Sudden oak death, which is a disease that affects oak trees, spread by a pathogen called Phytophthora Ramorum. This pathogen can affect over 100 other plant species but does not affect them as drastically as it does oak trees. Sudden oak death can occur anywhere in the country but has most commonly been seen on the west coast. It is estimated that over 1 million trees have been killed by this disease in the past 10 years. Some signs that your tree may have this issue are of trunk or bole cankers, bark beetles, and fungi growth. Oak wilt is caused by a fungus called Ceratocystis Fagacearum. This has mainly been seen in the midwest and can affect all oak trees, with the exception of white oaks. Some signs of this are wilting leaves, dull bronze or green color, and leaves appearing water-soaked. Most of the time, but not always, sudden oak death affects the trunk and branches first, while oak wilt tends to affect leaves first.

Do you think your tree may have one of these issues? If so, in order to ensure that it is diagnosed and treated correctly, give us a call at Sussex Tree! Our expert team knows all of the signs to look for and the steps to take if we find that your tree has sudden oak death or oak wilt. We hope you have learned something new about oak trees and that you know what to look for if you believe that you have a tree affected by either sudden oak death or oak wilt!