About Sudden Oak Death (SOD)

Sudden oak death is a disease that affects different types of oak tree species and plants. SOD can cause widespread death of trees in an entire area. Among the common signs of SOD are dying of shoots, trunk cankers and spots on leaves. You need to contact a certified arborist Mississauga if you notice any of these signs in your landscape.

There are 5 oak tree species that are prone to SOD. These are:

• Tanoak
• Canyon live oak
• Coast live oak
• California black oak
• Shreve’s oak

In some plants, sudden oak death can cause twig and foliage disease. This includes plant species such as Coast Redwood and Douglas-Fir.

The spores of the water mold Phytophthora ramorum, that causes SOD can quickly spread in blowing rain or flowing water. If a nearby plant species or oak tree is infected, your landscape is at risk when it rains. Sometimes SOD is spread via soil or items like shores, pet’s paws and tires. The water mold can be carried by pedestrians straight to your landscape. Sometimes the disease is transported through ornamental plants. It is important to remain vigilant and look out for the common signs of SOD attack. Hire a tree service Mississauga to help you maintain strong, healthy trees and treat such diseases when they arise.

One of the best ways to protect your trees is to perform regular inspection in order to identify the symptoms of this tree disease early enough. You may see the signs on your landscape but this doesn’t automatically mean that SOD is present. Contact a tree expert to come and have a tissue sample laboratory tested in order to determine if the disease is present. While there is no cure for SOD, preventative measures can be applied to protect oak species and plants.

Trees react differently after contracting SOD. It is rare for the infection to kill all of the plants that it affects. There are a number of factors that will determine if the tree will die after contracting Sudden Oak Death. There are trees that die quickly immediately after contracting the infection. Others survive for a length of time before they finally die. To determine how serious the infection has spread, the arborist may inspect the cankers on the trunk. If the tree has severe cankers on its trunk, it’s an indication that it is likely to die. Some trees will attract insects like ambrosia beetles when they have SOD which further contributes to them dying off.

If a tree is infected by SOD, its limbs may break off because it is rotting from the inside out. For this reason, it is very important to hire an expert to perform tree removal Mississauga. A tree that has died from SOD should be properly cut using the right tools so that all pathogen is eliminated to prevent it from spreading to the rest of the plants in the landscape.