Native Plants

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Tuesday - August 18, 2009

From: Longview, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Trees
Title: Oak trees losing leaves in Longview, Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

One of my oak trees is losing its leaves (it is the first week in August). They are turning brown and falling at an alarming rate. The ground under this tree is covered, but my other trees seem unaffected. What might be wrong with this tree?

ANSWER:

Since I don't know what kind of oak you have and I can't see what your leaves look like, I can't really diagnose the problem. If you were in Central Texas, I would suspect oak wilt; but Longview and Gregg County appear to be outside the Central Texas area where oak wilt has been recorded. You should, nevertheless, read about oak wilt and how to identify it.