Red oak removal and replanting - Ask Extension
A 20+ year old red oak in my yard has contracted a fungus and for several years has been losing limbs. The crown is mostly bare.. I've been advised b...
Knowledgebase
Red oak removal and replanting #910308
Asked July 17, 2025, 9:25 PM EDT
A 20+ year old red oak in my yard has contracted a fungus and for several years has been losing limbs. The crown is mostly bare.. I've been advised by an arborist that the tree has a fungus and can't be saved and I'm planning to take it down in a month or so. I will have the stump ground down and will remove the saw dust etc. My questions are: 1) how soon can I replant in or near the ground down stump? 2) do I have to worry about the fungus affecting the tree I plant - probably a dogwood or Japanese maple. 3) are there any small trees like those that you would recommend as replacement. The spot gets full sun through most of the day. Thank you very much.
Baltimore City County Maryland
Expert Response
You can replant any time you're ready to do so, but you'll have to relocate the planting hole to a spot where no old tree roots are in the way, since stump-grinding only goes down so far. Proportionately few of the myriad fungi that can infect trees are active pathogens (that is, the cause of infection and dieback in healthy wood); most are instead passive decay organisms, which colonize wood that is already dead or dying. Therefore, while there may be a small risk of exposing a new tree to an infectious fungus, it's not likely to be a problem, especially since such infections probably target stressed, injured, or weakened trees. The fungus visible on the oak is probably a passive decay fungus.
Early autumn (September) is a great time to plant trees, since the soil stays warm enough for a while to support root growth while the air temperatures cool off (at least overnight) to reduce stress on the canopy, which is about to shed at that point anyway, reducing water loss as the tree establishes roots. That said, any time of year a tree is planted, it should be monitored for watering needs, but since that's more critical in summer, that is the main limiting factor for summer planting (if someone will be traveling or otherwise not able to check on watering often enough). The other limiting factor will simply be what inventory the nurseries have available, since most stock-up in spring and again autumn, but are constrained by what their suppliers have left to send.
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) is not recommended for full sun, as it is adapted to grow in a mixed sun/shade, such as woodland edges or in forests with dappled light or clearings. They can tolerate full sun, but may be stressed, especially in times of drought or high heat. Dogwood also requires good soil drainage; they will not tolerate soggy soil.
There are several species and hundreds of cultivars of Japanese Maples (mainly Acer palmatum). While they are fine growing in full sun in cooler climates (like coastal Oregon, where many wholesale nurseries grow them), in Maryland they do best with a mix of sun and shade. (Dappled or partial shade during the hottest midday hours would be ideal.) For cultivars with red/purple foliage, there is a conflict: the color tends to be richest when exposed to full sun (shade will make them greener), but summer heat (which is greater in a sunny exposure, of course) can also muddy the colors and cause them to be less pronounced. The "laceleaf" varieties can also be more prone to scorch in hot weather, where the leaf tips or edges dry out and turn brown. They prefer consistent soil moisture but also need good drainage.
The mature size of a Japanese Maple is greatly dependent on the variety chosen, as they can range from 4-foot shrubs to 20-foot trees and everything in between. In comparison, Flowering Dogwood tends to average about 25 feet tall and wide, though when young, they will be taller than wide. Both trees are comparatively slow-growing overall, though each can be closer to moderate-paced (perhaps up to a foot a year) when young if not a dwarf variety.
Depending on what mature height you prefer and how well the soil drains (and if there are any deer to worry about, etc.), you have several additional options for tree species. Candidates could include Sweetbay Magnolia (or one of the non-native Asian-parentage Magnolia species/hybrids), Fringetree, Serviceberry, Crabapple, Carolina Silverbell, Japanese Snowbell, Hawthorn, Redbud, and Smoketree.
Miri
Early autumn (September) is a great time to plant trees, since the soil stays warm enough for a while to support root growth while the air temperatures cool off (at least overnight) to reduce stress on the canopy, which is about to shed at that point anyway, reducing water loss as the tree establishes roots. That said, any time of year a tree is planted, it should be monitored for watering needs, but since that's more critical in summer, that is the main limiting factor for summer planting (if someone will be traveling or otherwise not able to check on watering often enough). The other limiting factor will simply be what inventory the nurseries have available, since most stock-up in spring and again autumn, but are constrained by what their suppliers have left to send.
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) is not recommended for full sun, as it is adapted to grow in a mixed sun/shade, such as woodland edges or in forests with dappled light or clearings. They can tolerate full sun, but may be stressed, especially in times of drought or high heat. Dogwood also requires good soil drainage; they will not tolerate soggy soil.
There are several species and hundreds of cultivars of Japanese Maples (mainly Acer palmatum). While they are fine growing in full sun in cooler climates (like coastal Oregon, where many wholesale nurseries grow them), in Maryland they do best with a mix of sun and shade. (Dappled or partial shade during the hottest midday hours would be ideal.) For cultivars with red/purple foliage, there is a conflict: the color tends to be richest when exposed to full sun (shade will make them greener), but summer heat (which is greater in a sunny exposure, of course) can also muddy the colors and cause them to be less pronounced. The "laceleaf" varieties can also be more prone to scorch in hot weather, where the leaf tips or edges dry out and turn brown. They prefer consistent soil moisture but also need good drainage.
The mature size of a Japanese Maple is greatly dependent on the variety chosen, as they can range from 4-foot shrubs to 20-foot trees and everything in between. In comparison, Flowering Dogwood tends to average about 25 feet tall and wide, though when young, they will be taller than wide. Both trees are comparatively slow-growing overall, though each can be closer to moderate-paced (perhaps up to a foot a year) when young if not a dwarf variety.
Depending on what mature height you prefer and how well the soil drains (and if there are any deer to worry about, etc.), you have several additional options for tree species. Candidates could include Sweetbay Magnolia (or one of the non-native Asian-parentage Magnolia species/hybrids), Fringetree, Serviceberry, Crabapple, Carolina Silverbell, Japanese Snowbell, Hawthorn, Redbud, and Smoketree.
Miri
