The two most common trees in the area of Sandy Oaks (both the city and the community named Sandy Oaks 3 miles away) are hickories and Black Jack Oaks. Anyone who has lived in the area for a few years would have noticed that a large number of the oak trees are dying on a large scale.
The oaks that are dying do so at different rates. Sometimes a large branch might fall off, covered in green leaves. At other times, an entire tree might fall over. The reason why these symptoms are so different has something to do with how these trees are being attacked and how long it takes to show symptoms of an attack.
Hypoxylon Canker of Shade Trees
Hypoxylon is a fungi that is usually found on dead wood. However, some types of Hypoxylon can affect trees that are still living. The type that affects oaks is called Hypoxylon atropunctatum and it only affects trees that are not healthy. Reasons for poor health could include lack of water or damages to the root system.
Black Jack Oaks have a very shallow root system that only go 2-3 feet below the surface level and then span out. These roots can be easily damaged when installing mobile homes, decks, or pools.
Since Sandy Oaks/Waterwood is mostly mobile homes that are located in a drought stricken area, the chances of having damaged oak roots are very high. Thus the loss of trees on a large scale throughout the area.
There is no way to protect a tree from Hypoxylon spores. In fact, most trees already have the spores on them. However, the fungus only affects trees that are weak, so take extra caution to protect your trees and their roots from damage.
Part of of keeping the trees healthy will involve keeping them watered.
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