Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Our first problem is that we have no idea what a "Sherman Oak" is. We cannot find the scientific name for an oak by that common name. When we googled on it, we got a number of references to Sherman Oaks CA. Finally, by rewording our search criteria several times, we found this article about the Sherman Oak Tree, which was apparently an oak tree under which General Sherman camped during the Civil War. This still doesn't tell us what species of the genus Quercus (oak) it is or was. It could be a hybrid or perhaps this was a trade name given to it by some nursery to make it more attractive to buyers.

Shortly after we published this answer, another member (and smarter than this team member) on the Mr. Smarty Plants Team ventured the possibility that the oak being referred to is Quercus shumardii (Shumard oak). Follow the plant link to our page on that oak to see if it appears to be what you have. We also found an article on the Shumard Oak from the University of Connecticut that indicates Oak Wilt will kill this tree, so we think our advice to seek the advice of a licensed arborist is good. And maybe he can tell you if it is, indeed a Shumard Oak. We checked the USDA website for this tree, and found that it is native to Tulsa County, Oklahoma.

Thank you for offering us pictures, but we are no longer set up to receive pictures. You can go to our Plant Identification page to find the names of some forum websites that will take pictures.

It sometimes helps to know that scientific name of a plant, because we can search for that on the USDA website, and also use it to identify a pest or problem. In this case, we are going to find some more general sites that might help you identify the problem or find someone who can, without knowing exactly what the tree is. In fact, we just answered a similar question about oak tree problems in Oklahoma. We suggest you read this previous Mr. Smarty Plants answer and follow the links to see if you can figure it out. And, as we did in that previous answer, we urge you to have it looked at by a licensed arborist. Not only might he be able to identify the problem, he probably can identify the tree. If he does, let us know.