Hello OB!

I come seeing advice from any tree experts in our group. I have this oak tree that has taken a turn for the worse over the last year. I'm not sure how this happened but I went out today and just happened to notice the tree looks like it is cracking and dead. Any idea what could have caused this? I have a couple of other oaks on in my yard and I'm worried about this spreading. I'm assuming there is nothing I can do for this guy and I will need to cut it down, but it is a shame because it was such a nice tree out in my front yard. I'm in the DFW area, Flower Mound to be more precise. Thanks, in advance.

Bark can come off and regrow. We had a live oak under stress that lost a lot of bark and then it regrew and molded back together.

Did it show signs of stress when we had that heat/dry snap back in July/August in Denton/Collin county?

Looks like a red oak, can you confirm?

The one picture where you can start to see the bark peel away looks like it may have hypoxylon canker which unfortunately means it's on its way to the grave. Could be years though.

If that bark peels off easily and looks dusty and "moldy" below it, it's likely hypoxylon canker.

I wonder if this was also caused by the ice we recently had and some of the branches were weighed down.

I'd call an arborist.

Tree Smith out of Krum can help you. He's an Ag too. I've known him and his family just about my entire life. He did great work on my trees.

https://www.thetreesmith.net/

I am betting that its Hypoxylon Canker I have had too many oaks around the ranch look the same and it turned out to be the dreaded HC. I have it kill post oaks and red oaks mainly. Stress is the cause according to my county agent.

rancher1953 said:

---

I am betting that its Hypoxylon Canker I have had too many oaks around the ranch look the same and it turned out to be the dreaded HC. I have it kill post oaks and red oaks mainly. Stress is the cause according to my county agent.

---

bingo.

Also, to the OP. I'm sure you'll do some googling, but there is no cure for hypoxylon canker. Also, no way to "keep it spreading" to other trees.

Hypoxylon canker is an endemic. It's a fungus that exists everywhere in the air and only leads to issues on a stressed tree. I had a huge sycamore at my last house that succumbed to it. The previous owner did a hack job at trimming and the summer of 2011 and 2013 did a number to it.

Once it shows signs of HC stress, it's over. It will slowly kill limbs and other parts of the tree until it needs to be taken down completely. Sorry for your loss if that's what it is. I loved that huge sycamore.

Hypoxylon Canker - Texas A&M Forest Service

Yup. It's HC. Lost this large oak this spring. Had to take it down as it was close to the house, over neighbors fence/garage and the kids playground.

Started dropping big limbs and decided it wasn't worth risk anymore. I loved this tree as it shielded the western sun when setting




Also. What the stump looks like, and how deep the HC was into the heart wood.

Ugh, not what I wanted to hear. I have a red oak in my back yard that might be showing signs as well. It sounds like this was not caused by something I did, but just by the stress that the tree was under. My red oak in the back yard sits right next to my pool and deck and it keeps our pool shaded in the summer. It's an amazing tree. What a loss.

I got quotes $1600 from a guy who does tree trimming in the area. Does that sound like a fair rate? That was just to remove the tree, not to grind the stump or pull the roots. Seems a bit steep, but I don't price tree removal regularly.

That's not bad. Especially for a tree that big.

Assume they'll be hauling everything off?

Yeah, they'd haul it off. I might keep some of the wood for the fire pit and grill. I'm assuming it would be ok to use it for bbq and a fire pit, right?

Yup. Burns just fine.

At least keep a bunch of wood. Lemons. Lemonade.

"I am betting that its Hypoxylon Canker I have had too many oaks around the ranch look the same and it turned out to be the dreaded HC. I have it kill post oaks and red oaks mainly. Stress is the cause according to my county agent."

I am familiar with stress in aquarium fish, and the damn cats, but trees? What typically would be stressful to a tree? I plan on googling it, but also, that's an interesting point.

Are Your Trees Stressed? | Arbor Day Foundation

In this economy, there's a lot stressing trees out.

Drought?