Bugs in a black oak

[toller]

Maybe there is a better group for this, but I couldn't find it.

I have a large black oak tree by the edge of a lake in Rochester NY. Each spring it develops holes that drip goopy brown stuff. Presumably it is an insect infestation. Naturally I am looking for a solution, as I would hate to lose the tree. There is a lot of dead wood on it, but it leafs out normally every year and doesn't "seem" to be getting any worse.

Last week there was a bad windstorm that brought down some of the deadwood. Inside was

don't know if these are the problem or just something that took up residence in the deadwood, but it might be a good start. Any idea what this is, and how it can be treated? (or is there a more appropriate group to try?)

Thanks.

[Volfie]

Many, many, many, MANY years ago, (before the internet), I had a similar problem with a peach tree. I didn't know what to do to save it so I started at each oozing hole and followed it up through the trunk with a sharp knife, digging out the damaged parts until I dug out the grub that was invariably at the end of the tunnel. Then I patched the path with tar. The tree lived for another dozen years or so until a bad windstorm took it down because, afterall, it was riddled with holes and tar channels.

I'm sure this was no help at all but, if I were you, I'd get an expert QUICK!

Giselle (don't think I've ever heard of a black oak)

[Mike LaMana]

The oozy holes you describe sure sound the manifestation of Verticillium wilt in oak trees, but could be any number of other things. The bugs you describe in the tree (an pic thereof) are moths, probably gypsy moth or the ilk. They are adventitious and not causative.

The tree sounds sick, and once a tree gets sick, opportunists in the (urban) forest will find it.

IME black oak are not long lived in our area, relative to, say, red or certainly white or chestnut oaks,

Can you post pics of the ooze and holes??

[toller]

The holes/ooze are shown in

area shown is about 8" across. In other areas there are more distinct holes, but this was the best ooze. We have had a lot of rain lately, so it is a bit cleaner than usual. The entire tree is shown in is rooted in a shale cliff, goes down about 2' and then back up. At it's lowest, it is about 4' above the lake surface.

It is an oak with pointy leaves, so I am calling it a black oak; don't know what it really is. The woods above it are primarily oak and sugar maple. Your help on this is sincerely appreciated.

[Mike LaMana]

Toller - that tree looks for all the world like a Norway maple in the photo, but I could well be wrong. The stains on the bark of the tree, again, look like the symptoms of Verticillium wilt - a fungal disease of trees and plants that attacks through roots and them causes clogging of the vascular system - it is found in trees in forest and landscape setting alike.. My expert opinion (chuckle) is that it was caused by drought or some other stress to the root system like construction, landslide, re-grading, altered drainage, overfill.

The good news is that trees can persist a long time with this disease. I would try a moderate N-P-K fertilization and aggressive monitoring of the irrigation - not too wet nor too dry.

Post a photo of the leaves, my curiosity is killing me now. Good Luck! Mike

[Jim Carlock]

You need to change the permissions on the picture:

is currently configured to not allow anonymous access.

[toller]

Below is a photo of a leaf. I don't know what kind of oak it is, but it is an oak.

the leaf is a pile of debris that was on the ground below the tree. It usually dries up in the summer, but this year is rainy and cold, so it must think it is still Spring. Anyhow, it is like extremely coarse sawdust. Could a fungus do that?

Because it is growing out of a shale cliff, fertilizing or water are both problematic. It must however be a very stressful place to be growing!