Diseases Associated with Oaks

Because of land use history and the decimation of American chestnut by the chestnut blight, oaks probably represent a larger component of the southern forests today than at any time in the past.

Oak decline will continue to be a forest health issue in this region especially on national forest land, which has a higher frequency of attributes that are important in oak decline etiology (old trees, low soil fertility, and shallow soils). Among national forests, the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests have the highest incidence of this disease.

In central Texas, oak wilt has emerged as a major disease, causing significant damage to an environmentally restricted and vulnerable resource that is primarily valued for aesthetics.

Although sudden oak death is mainly a concern for the western United States, this disease has been discovered in nurseries stocks and thus poses a risk for all areas of the country. 

The following sections describe the roles of these three diseases in relation to southern oaks.