Mature oak trees - Ask Extension
Hi! I live in a older condo community in Annapolis. We have a lovely variety of mature trees. In particular, a number of oak trees need inspecting,...
Knowledgebase
Mature oak trees #873989
Asked June 20, 2024, 5:52 PM EDT
Hi! I live in a older condo community in Annapolis. We have a lovely variety of mature trees. In particular, a number of oak trees need inspecting, and a clear path forward for ongoing care. Could someone come out from Extension to help us with this?
We would appreciate your help.
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
Unfortunately, we are not set up to do site visits, but we suggest that you have them assessed by a certified arborist. Maybe the city of Annapolis has a forester on staff?
ISA-certified arborists are tree health experts. Most larger tree companies have them on staff or you can search for one at the credentialing agency at http://www.treesaregood.org.
It is worth noting that the last few years have been difficult for many big, old oaks, with many declining and dying. There is no one 'smoking gun' as to why, but more a cascade or stressors now termed 'Oak Decline'.
At one point Anne Arundel County was soliciting citizen feedback as they monitored the declines. This page explains the problem and has the most recent report:
https://www.aacounty.org/inspections-and-permits/forestry/oak-decline
It certainly doesn't help that our climate and weather have become more difficult to predict and manage, and last year, large portions of Maryland had serious and prolonged drought conditions that stressed most of our trees, including large, established specimens.
We expect to see more stress symptoms and tree decline overall this year, especially if growing conditions similar to this week continue, where summer temps soar and precipitation is not expected.
Christine
ISA-certified arborists are tree health experts. Most larger tree companies have them on staff or you can search for one at the credentialing agency at http://www.treesaregood.org.
It is worth noting that the last few years have been difficult for many big, old oaks, with many declining and dying. There is no one 'smoking gun' as to why, but more a cascade or stressors now termed 'Oak Decline'.
At one point Anne Arundel County was soliciting citizen feedback as they monitored the declines. This page explains the problem and has the most recent report:
https://www.aacounty.org/inspections-and-permits/forestry/oak-decline
It certainly doesn't help that our climate and weather have become more difficult to predict and manage, and last year, large portions of Maryland had serious and prolonged drought conditions that stressed most of our trees, including large, established specimens.
We expect to see more stress symptoms and tree decline overall this year, especially if growing conditions similar to this week continue, where summer temps soar and precipitation is not expected.
Christine
