Pa.'s White Oak Trees Becoming Infected
People are now noticing an illness with oak trees in our region. WPC Director of Natural Heritage Charles Bier offers this insight to the problem.
" I recently had a question today from WPC Employee Kara Wienand, who brought in an infected white oak (Quercus alba) leaf. Although other oak species are becoming infected in some areas, white oak appears to be most impacted and this past Sunday as I drove along Rt. 422 in Butler County, the degree of infection in the forest was readily apparent from the highway: dozens of browning trees along the many slopes that wind with the road.
Thinking this might be another anthracnose fungus encouraged by our unusually wet weather this spring (e.g. similar to what's attacking sycamore trees this year and last) I made a few calls to the Bureau of Forestry and described the symptoms, which include shrunken, drying, brown leaves with many tufted "spore-bodies" on the underside of each leaf. Forestry pathologist Jim Unger has determined this to be "oak anthracnose." This is a fungus that is usually out there in the wilds and although it sometimes erupts, it generally will not impact the trees in the long run."
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