Diary of a Dying Coast Live Oak

(Originally blogged 6/16/07)



We have a 125-year old coast live oak tree that nicely shades our parking area. It has Sudden Oak Death, an affliction that has killed many trees in Marin and Sonoma and other coastal counties in California. Our oak had not been treated or checked out in the last 10 or so years, but we were fairly certain that it was healthy, from our casual monitoring. Just to be sure, though, we invited a tree specialist to come out and take a look early this spring. He gave us the bad news: it is in the early stages of sudden oak death.

The treatment consists of a spray that kills the fungus that is attacking the bark. It is applied every 3-6 months for a year or two, with results uncertain until the end of the treatment period. We have applied the treatment, and now we wait.

I’m watching the tree very closely, hoping for a smooth recovery. It is a huge tree with a fantastic spread that protects the front of the house from the hot afternoon sun. It also gives the cats a place to escape the dogs and hide from us. We don’t climb it or swing from it, as that just wouldn’t seem respectful.

We have several other oaks on our property, one of which recently succumbed to sudden oak death. It was a small tree-about 4’ in diameter. I understand now why they call it Sudden oak death: it died very suddenly. The leaves went brown and the tree tumbled over seemingly overnight. I don’t worry as much about the smaller trees dying-I guess because they are easier to replace. The younger trees are the next generation – I guess I’ll keep an eye on them, too.
Stay tuned for oak health updates.