Oak Decline Mitigation

The Hill Country has a forest and eco system that is old and the trees are declining after years of prolonged stress. This has reached a point where most of the oak population is declining in healthy development.

Major stressors in our area are drought, overpopulation of cedars, and unhealthy growth patterns, along with ball moss, oak gall, fungus and insects. It’s imperative to have your trees mitigated of these stressors to ensure that they are on a healthy track and to keep further diseases, like oak wilt from infecting your trees.

Our oak decline mitigation service involves identifying and mitigating stressors that are present. To learn more about oak tree stressors visit our blog. The list of stressors that we look for are:

• Drought/dehydration

• Cedar dominance (cedars and other native species can co exist with the proper balance between the species).

• Overpopulation of both trees and leaves

• Unhealthy growth patterns

• Ball moss

• Insects

• Fungus

• Oak gall

• Root damage

• Environmental issues (weather, construction, land development)

Tribemania has developed successful techniques to mitigate stressors that lead to oak decline.  We are at a time in the cycle of this forest that most of the oaks have been under stress for a prolonged period of time and now have multiple stressors taking place at once. These stressors are causing the trees to decline in health and in turn becoming more susceptible to other diseases.

Because of oak trees’ shallow root systems, drought is one of the most serious stressors. When there are multiple stressors, the tree has an even greater demand for more water. In addition to lack of rain, stressed trees aren’t able to efficiently draw water from the root system which causes the tree to be in oak decline. Learn more about drought stress mitigation in the Root Inoculation Service page.

We have successfully mitigated hundreds of oak trees in decline in the Canyon Lake area. Most of the oak decline we see is in the upper part of the canopy, in underdeveloped branches. One common stressor we have seen is unhealthy growth patterns which have evolved over time.  The oaks have been competing with cedars and other native trees for sunlight and water which adds even more stress to the trees.

Our shape and balance cut mitigates this stressor by creating a more balanced canopy, with less leaf population in the underbelly. The shape and balance cut is especially important because of the interconnected root system found in oak trees. A proper cut enhances the trees ability to take in water more efficiently, thus promoting health. Learn more about our shape and balance service in the Canopy Reshaping page.

Each stressor that we are able to mitigate relieves a measure of stress that helps the trees promote a more balanced intake and uptake of water and nutrients for a healthier canopy. Mitigating oak decline helps reverse the unhealthy growth pattern, keeping the tree in a healthy state and ultimately preventing oak wilt.

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