Hi Marian.

   I am seeing similar on my oak trees too.  Two concerns are the severe cold we experienced this year and the atypical responses of native trees.  I think having patience and giving them more time to form buds and leaf out on the branches.  We are outside the recommended window for pruning oak trees so planning on next pruning this summer is advisable. If you do need to remove any dead branches it is always advisable to seal the cuts on oak trees.  (I watch workers seal the cuts when I hire a service to insure they do it well.)

 The second concern is our drought conditions. I answered a lot of questions about trees last year.  And it became obvious that many trees in central Texas were stressed due to drought conditions leading to other conditions. Hopefully we will get some nice deep soaking rain the next few days.  I have attached a link to the Texas A&M Forestry that may help.  Supplemental deep watering may be needed from time to time & proper mulching to help retain moisture will help.  There are rebate programs through the City of Austin on mulching and application of compost.

https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/ContinuedEffectsOfDroughtOnTrees/

Thanks for helping you trees survive and thrive!

Bob Kunkel

Travis County Mastergardener