Bur Oak Blight Symptoms, Issues and Prevention, Part 1
While oaks are a broad group of tree species that are known for their resilience and general strength, there are still certain diseases and risks they’re exposed to. Within a particular group of oaks, known as the bur oak tree, one of the most common such conditions is known as bur oak blight.
At Affordable Tree Care, we’re proud to offer comprehensive tree health services, from disease control to tree spraying, fertilization and several other related areas. We’ve helped many clients deal with their bur oak blight issues in the past, and we’re on-hand to perform the same duties for you if you have this species on your property and these issues are appearing. This two-part blog will go over everything you need to know about bur oak blight, including how and why it develops and how to prevent or remove it.
Utah and Oak Trees
Firstly, we wanted to clear up any confusion regarding bur oak trees in Utah. Tree enthusiasts with a keen eye will note that many oak types don’t tend to do well in most parts of Utah due to improper soil and climate conditions – but the bur oak is one major exception.
The bur oak, unlike other oaks, is well-adapted to many areas in Utah. There still might be some limited areas where it will struggle based on conditions, but it will generally do fine throughout the majority of the state.
Bur Oak Blight Basics
One of the only common conditions that might affect a bur oak tree is bur oak blight, which is a fungal disease that only was discovered in the 1990s. It’s most common in midwestern states across the US.
When bur oaks are infected with this condition, it begins slowly but becomes more and more severe with time, eventually leading to death if untreated. In many cases, the symptoms will begin in spring but will not be noticeable until August or even later.
How it Develops
Here are the general buildup steps of bur oak blight in bur oak trees:
- During spring, leaf stalks release spores that have developed over the previous fall and winter.
- Rain and wind move these spores onto other leaves, spreading the infection.
- Leaves may look healthy all the way up until late July or even August or September.
- Dead leaves and leaf stalks begin to form black pustules, staying on trees and kicking off the cycle again the following year.
- Infections can take place at any point through the growing season.
In part two of our series, we’ll go over how to spot, prevent and remove bur oak blight from trees. To learn more about this or any of our arborist and tree health services, speak to the staff at Affordable Tree Care today.
