If you have beautiful oak trees on your property, maintaining their health also means checking for signs of Sudden Oak Death, also known as Phytophthora ramorum.  Though this is not an endemic to the Northeast, trees can be made susceptible even if a single oak tree from a nursery is integrated into your landscape.  Much of the tree loss attributed to Sudden Oak Death has effected California.

A hillside in Big Sur, California, devastated by sudden oak death
via wikipedia

What are the symptoms of Sudden Oak Death, and how can you check your oak tree properly?  Symptoms of Sudden Oak Death include bleeding cankers on the tree’s trunk as well as a dieback of the tree’s foliage; this eventually results in the death of your tree.

If you were to take a slice from the trunk of an infected oak tree, you would see the following:

via reddit

If you suspect that your tree is suffering from Sudden Oak Death, contact our team of ISA-certified, professional arborists at Westchester Tree Life today:  (914) 238-0069