Oak crown dying

[Ty Korrigan]

I crown lifted an oak pollard back in November.

It has a very busy crown due to being a traditional Breton pollard.

I noticed today that over half the buds have browned off just as the leaves started emerging but there are still a few stems with green leaves towards the top.

It doesn't have signs of Phytophthrora ramorum on the bark but has always a Fistulina that appears each year.

What pathogen might be the cause of death here?

Have I carried something on my saw?

This is worrying for me because of just who the owner is and his position in our local community. 

In tandem with this oak, a line of century old council oaks which we work on is also showing the same symptoms.

Co-incidence or are my team vectors for something?

    Stuart

 

[Mick Dempsey]

6 hours ago, Ty Korrigan said:

I crown lifted an oak pollard back in November.

It has a very busy crown due to being a traditional Breton pollard.

I noticed today that over half the buds have browned off just as the leaves started emerging but there are still a few stems with green leaves towards the top.

It doesn't have signs of Phytophthrora ramorum on the bark but has always a Fistulina that appears each year.

What pathogen might be the cause of death here?

Have I carried something on my saw?

This is worrying for me because of just who the owner is and his position in our local community. 

In tandem with this oak, a line of century old council oaks which we work on is also showing the same symptoms.

Co-incidence or are my team vectors for something?

    Stuart

 

Might be a bit of frost damage from that cold snap we had a few weeks back.

Lots of stuff took a battering. 
Wait and see.

 

Edited May 7, 2022 by Mick Dempsey

[Dan Maynard]

Oak can flush more leaves if they get battered/eaten too, had to look up name again - Lammas growth.

[Ty Korrigan]

It certainly isn't frost damage.

Ruled out herbicide sprayed under canopy and vandalism (drilling holes and using herbicide, a 'thing' locally but more of that later)

Client does burn waste from bee hives near the crown so some thought given to heat and a chemical release scorching the crown but this is a wild card.

What I am leaning towards is drought.

There are other oaks which are browning off or have already died.

Our 'county' department 35 Ile et Vilaine is for the second year officially in drought.

I've been grinding today in town, bone dry to 30cm.

The soil is heavy yellow clay.

 

In contrast, our new place though, 25km North has damp soil, higher watertable.

Wednesday I had a survey done for our sewage system. Core samples done, deep sandy loam with light clay and sand subsoil with iron pan at 1m depth.

Damp all the way down.

Grass lush and green.

 

 

 

 

 

[5thelement]

It’s been dry here for about a month and hitting 30 degrees. Yesterday I went past a clients house that had tried to get me to prune his well established Apricot in February.

I informed him at the time that I only prune stone fruits in the Summer., he was rather pushy that I did it earlier, I declined.
I glad I did because it is now completely stone dead with the bark pealing off, I think he would be putting the blame on me and stating my earlier advice as the reason for its decline.

Back next week to fell it.

[Ty Korrigan]

I believe I have worked it out.

There are other oaks in the vicinity in the same soil also showing the same symptoms to a lesser degree.

Drought stress

By raising the crown, I greatly reduced the spread.

This shaded the roots.

Added to this, the owner has chickens who have exposed the bare soil as the mulch I put down has not been added too, plus horses which have overgrazed and compacted the other side of the fence.

 

 

Edited May 14, 2022 by Ty Korrigan