"Bob" wrote in message
ink.net...

"RoyDMercer" wrote in message
...
"Bob" wrote in message
link.net...
Pretty much widespread throughout Georgetown, Live Oak trees appear to
be
browning - first one limb and then others until the whole tree looks
to
be
dead. I have never seen anything like this before.

Is this problem a result of all the worms we had this spring, and will
it
kill the trees or will they coe back?

The disease is spread by beetles and root grafts, not worms. If a tree
is
infected, it will die in almost all cases. If you have a tree that has
it,
you need to remove the tree as quickly as possible to prevent infection
of
nearby trees. It is possible to inoculate trees near infected trees
with
some level of success. If this is not done, trees that share root areas
will eventually become infected also. All oaks in the red oak family
(which
Live Oaks reside) are susceptible. If you do have to remove an
infected
tree, I suggest planting an elm in its place.

Because of this problem, I have planted only one Live Oak at my new
residence. For most shade trees, I have gone with elm trees and Chinese
Pistache. Cedar Elm is a Texas native and grows very well. Lacebark
Elm
is
an Asian variety and does very well here also. Elms are susceptible to
dutch elm disease (which is similar in nature to oak wilt), however
dutch
elm disease is not a problem in most areas of Texas and the two
varieties
I
mentioned have a good resistance to the disease.

Thanks for the answer, but I was asking if this was oak wilt or a result
of
the worm infestation. I know the worms don't spread it.

Glad you planted different trees. My huge oaks are natural and part of
the reason we chose this lot.



It could be oak wilt, but your description isn't much to base a diagnosis
on. I doubt it's the worms, though.

We also bought because of the large oaks and have had several die. Prior to
buying, we had an arborist (formerly posting here as Treedoc) come out to
check the trees to give an opinion on whether there was oak wilt. He gave a
vague answer, and basically said trees don't live forever, plant some other
trees in case these croak.

I watched for all the 'classic' signs - patterns on leaves etc, but never
saw them as trees died. One symptom that I have seen consistently is
peeling bark, which Brown looked right at and declared not oak wilt.

Drop the money on Alamo. If you catch it early, you can save the tree for
several years. If you get there first, the tree will be safe for several
years, but probably needs 'booster shots' down the road. If the tree
already has dead branches, don't waste your money.

However, the best advice is: trees don't live forever, plant some other
trees in case these croak.