Oak Tree Health - Ask Extension
Hello,
We would like to get your opinion on the health of our oak tree. My neighbor had someone come to trim branches. He noticed our tree and state...
Knowledgebase
Oak Tree Health #880631
Asked August 07, 2024, 9:29 PM EDT
Hello,
We would like to get your opinion on the health of our oak tree. My neighbor had someone come to trim branches. He noticed our tree and stated that he was concerned the tree was diseased or dying because the tips of the branches were dead; one of the branches is over their property. We also have a sump pump drain near the tree. There is some pooling when the rains are hard. This tree also sits 55" from a fresh water lake. The tree trimmer also noticed ants around the base of the tree. Any input you can give us would be appreciated. Thank you
Kalamazoo County Michigan
Expert Response
I'm not sure if you mean they were pruning your oak tree or another tree, but to reduce the risk of Oak Wilt, you should only prune oaks during the dormant season. I'm attaching a link with further information about this issue. Oak Wilt can spread through roots that are touching underground, so if your neighbors tree was an oak, this may be a concern.
From these pictures I can't tell much about the over all health of your tree. I would recommend contacting a certified arborist to give you a full assessment of its health. I'm including a link to find a nearby certified arborist. This is especially important if you are seeing branch dieback considering it's proximity to structures. Ants, including carpenter ants may tunnel in trees if their overall health is declining or there are dead portions in the tree.
https://www.michiganoakwilt.org/
https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist/findanarborist
From these pictures I can't tell much about the over all health of your tree. I would recommend contacting a certified arborist to give you a full assessment of its health. I'm including a link to find a nearby certified arborist. This is especially important if you are seeing branch dieback considering it's proximity to structures. Ants, including carpenter ants may tunnel in trees if their overall health is declining or there are dead portions in the tree.
https://www.michiganoakwilt.org/
https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist/findanarborist
