Oak tree decay developed after 2021 freeze and progressing – need your advise
Hello,
One of my oak trees shows signs of decay after the 2021 freeze and I see that it expanding. Tree itself looking ok (leaves, branches, etc), but the the main trunk is looks bad.
I would get a certified arborist out there to take a look at it but I have a couple of live oaks with similar freeze damage, it’s called radial shake. The advice I got from my arborist was that it looks ugly but trust that the tree knows how to heal and protect itself. Keep an eye on how it leafs out and the quality of the leaves every year and it should be fine. Now if we keep getting these deep freezes every winter going forward then it may be a different discussion. Hoping for a few mild winters in the future so my trees have some more time to heal.
austintreeamigos
You can see the response growth on the edges of the decay, the tree is actively working on sealing up the decay. The only thing you can do to help, is increase the growth rate of the tree. To do this I recommend the following:
1. Perform a root collar excavation or have an arborist do it.
2. Begin watering consistently, ideally once a week with a quality soaker hose.
3. Fertilize with Nitrogen in the late Fall and early Spring.
The canopy looks like its doing well, so I would be optimistic.
2 Comments
I would get a certified arborist out there to take a look at it but I have a couple of live oaks with similar freeze damage, it’s called radial shake. The advice I got from my arborist was that it looks ugly but trust that the tree knows how to heal and protect itself. Keep an eye on how it leafs out and the quality of the leaves every year and it should be fine. Now if we keep getting these deep freezes every winter going forward then it may be a different discussion. Hoping for a few mild winters in the future so my trees have some more time to heal.
You can see the response growth on the edges of the decay, the tree is actively working on sealing up the decay. The only thing you can do to help, is increase the growth rate of the tree. To do this I recommend the following:
1. Perform a root collar excavation or have an arborist do it.
2. Begin watering consistently, ideally once a week with a quality soaker hose.
3. Fertilize with Nitrogen in the late Fall and early Spring.
The canopy looks like its doing well, so I would be optimistic.