Knowledgebase

Oak trees #797000

Asked June 21, 2022, 11:56 AM EDT

We live in The Oaks, an old neighborhood with many Oak trees. A significant amount of trees in our community are dying or in distress. They seem to be loosing leaves by the cluster as opposed to individual leaves. Is there a way we can save them? I have looked online but do not see anything similar in Maryland.

Howard County Maryland

Expert Response

Hi Nancy!

The flagging, or the branch tips that are dying and falling off are from the Brood X cicada damage; they oviposit (deposit eggs) into the ends of smaller branches and they eventually fall off. The dieback on the large branches should be addressed by a licensed professional arborist, which you can find using this tool from the International Society of Arboriculture: https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist/findanarborist

Jamie

Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied June 22, 2022, 12:06 PM EDT

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