Big Bear Valley Black Oaks Tree Health

Eliminate Watersprouts

Watersprouts and suckers are vigorous upright epicormic shoots. They can be a problem in a number of fruit and landscape plants. Often they outgrow the main leader of the young trees. In some species, they can be an annual problem for almost the entire life of the tree. If previous growths of this kind have not been pruned off close to the trunk or removed from the roots from which they arise, they can become particularly numerous.

Without exception both watersprouts and suckers should be removed as early as possible. When a mature tree is stressed by drought, nutrient deficiency, old age, or disease, inside branches are exposed to more light. Higher light intensity causes many low vigor epicormic sprouts.

Big Bear Valley Black Oaks

Watersprouts are noticeable and recurrent in Local Native Black Oak Trees in the Big Bear Valley. Many of these sprouts are at or near ground level. By eliminating these sprouts crown dieback of the main trunk of the tree will be reduced and tree health will be enhanced.

For years property owners have inadvertently neglected to remove these sprouts from the Black Oak Trees. Many of these sprouts and shoots may now be several inches in diameter. By eliminating these shoots tree health will be improved.

How to Prune Branches

http://www.isa-arbor.com/publications/CDdemos.aspx
http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/prun001.htm

Standards for Purchasing container grown Landscape trees

www.ufei.org/standards&specs.html

Select a Tree

http://selectree.calpoly.edu/

Fire Safe Councils

www.firesafecouncil.org
www.bbvfsc.org

Bark Beetle in and around Big Bear Valley

Western Pine Bark Beetle
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/nr/fid/fidls/fidl1.pdf

Jeffery Pine
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/nr/fid/fidls/fidl11.htm

Fir Engraver Beetle
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/nr/fid/fidls/fidl13.pdf

Red Turpentine Beetle
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/nr/fid/fidls/redturp.pdf

IPS Bark Beetle
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/fidls/ips/ipsfidl.htm

Annosus Root Disease

Annosus root disease in the western Conifers
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/nr/fid/fidls/annosus.pdf