Now keep in mine I am posting from my cell, does the line between the trunk and the soil look extra defined almost like a cut was made there? Probably just me squinting. The leaves look too good.

The entire tree

The back of the tree trunk

The front of the tree trunk - dang sprinklers were on!

The yellowing leaves

Further, I suspect a circling root at the base of the tree. Likely too late to do anything about that at this time.

That's a pretty crappy arborist if he can't tell the difference between a white oak and a scarlet oak. They are fairly distinct. Was he even certified?

> The leaves to me look like a pin oak, but I'm not an
> arborist so he's probably right. Anyhow, last year around
> this time the leaves started changing colors and turned a
> gorgeous bright red with hints of orange in them.

Scarlet and pin look similar, leaf-wise. Based on the description of the fall foliage I would say scarlet is correct.

> We had been looking forward to seeing it again this year
> but...the leaves are just turning yellow, then brown,
> then dropping off the tree. I can't help but to feel as
> if we did something wrong.

Usually some smallish, usually interior branches die each year. Generally they die at this time of year, before main leaf drop, and turn yellow as you describe before dying.

> We do have a lawn around it, but the lawn has been there
> as long as the tree has - 15 years. I deep watered the
> tree a few times until I was told that you shouldn't
> water oaks in the summer, so now it gets water from the
> sprinklers on the lawn. I've read that you should never
> water an oak tree with sprinklers but again, the tree has
> been there for 15 years with no problems and the arborist
> told us to just leave things alone because oaks don't
> like change.

Who said not to water oaks in summer? I've seen that written about native California oaks, but that doesn't look like California to me ;)

> One other thing to mention - this house was a foreclosure
> when we bought it, and the people that lived here before
> did not take care of anything - the roof, the carpets,
> the walls, and much less the tree. They in fact shot it
> with a BB gun. The arborist we had over said that we
> should leave them in because the tree could be caused
> more harm if we take them out but I feel weird just
> seeing them and thinking that maybe they are affecting
> the health of the tree. I don't even know what to think
> anymore. So that's my story. I'm hoping that if I post a
> few pictures someone will come along and be willing to
> share some knowledge on the tree. Maybe tell us what it
> is? How to properly care for it? I get so many
> conflicting answers elsewhere :( Thank-you much!

Don't worry about the BB's unless you notice rot around where it was shot. Otherwise the tree should encapsulate them and it won't matter a bit.

Ruffles - I hope you're right. The tree was gorgeous last year!

Famartin - He was a certified arborist. His company was pretty highly rated on Angie's List as well. Maybe it was just a bunch of fake reviews...I too thought it was weird that he couldn't identify the difference between the white and scarlet oaks since the leaves look completely different to me. He was over for a quote to get rid of our evil Mulberry so I think he didn't want to pay too much attention to the oak. He's the one that told us not to water it too much. He said oaks don't like their "feet" wet, they like to be deep watered, just not in the summer. I've deep watered a few times but it gets water mostly from the sprinklers. Should i water it differently?

Yeah - it's definitely not a native California oak, those I can tell from a mile away because they are everywhere!! (We live in CA).

Thanks for everybody's help! Maybe I'm just being paranoid..

As for the grass up to the trunk issue: That depends on who you ask. In nature its perfectly normal to have grass right up to the trunk, if that is the natural ground cover in the area. Of course, in most wooded areas it isn't, but it does happen occasionally in nature. Where it doesn't occur in nature, there are usually small bushes or young trees in the vicinity of the trunk. There is also a natural ground cover of dead leaves in most natural settings.

Getting away from what happens in nature, there are certainly millions of urban park trees which have grass right up to the trunk and do just fine. One concern with grass up to the trunk is how careful the person mowing the lawn is, since hitting the tree with the mower can of course damage it (naturally). In that case it just becomes a matter of if you are careful mowing, or if you care that much.

I prefer a perennial bed around the base of most trees, but that's purely for aesthetics.

second... mulching around a tree of that size is simply an issue of keeping the lawnmower.... the weedwhip .. and the guy who runs both.. away from the tree ... scarring the trunk is forever ...

third.. the lawn show some signs of drought... at the edge of the canopy ... its yellow there... and that is where the feeder roots are ...

simply put.. that is a gorgeous mature oak tree ... it really needs little or nothing from you.. especially 'worry' ... water the lawn to keep it green.. and the tree will get what it needs.. if you fert the lawn .. the tree will get most of that stuff ... plus the mulched grass clippings... it needs little else from you.. in other words.. dont try to kill it with too much love ...

and in summation.. go find something else to worry about ... simply enjoy this tree ... its been there a very long time.. w/o you.. and has thrived.. why do you now think it is a problem ....

ken

ps: the tree is probably as old as the house.. how old is that????

This house was built in 1996. Somewhere along the way, one of the previous owners planted the tree through a free shade tree program we have in this area. Our summers can creep into the 100's, just for a few days, so the local electric company partnered with a tree foundation to give out various free trees. We'd like to plant 2 smaller trees for privacy (we have a fairly good sized yard) and when their arborist was out to recommend the placement and type of tree he told us that the oak had originally come from them. He unfortunately didn't have anything written down as far as what type it was.

My husband is the grass mower / weed eater. It takes him maybe 10 minutes to do the entire yard because he's very, very careful around the tree. He's a major tree fanatic. If it were completely up to him we'd be living out in the country on 10 acres surrounded by trees, with no neighbors for miles.

Our grass is fickle. It may look like drought but it was like a swamp out there a week ago. We actually had a few mushrooms pop up and when we walked into the grass, we sunk. We ended up cutting out one watering cycle so it gets watered 2 times a week now for 15 minutes each time. It's been in the 80's...

Thanks again for all of your answers, guys! Guess I was just worrying for nothing. Hopefully we'll still see some color change but if not, maybe next year. :)

i was just trying to say.. subject to number one.. tree color is variable.. and the lawn shows some stress ... so the heat and or drought MIGHT have made this years show.. less than last years ... NBD ... no big deal ...

i just wouldnt worry about it..

ken

Beng - I wish I could find a few. The squirrels around here get most of them though. I looked up the Shumard tree leaves and they look very similar to ours. Regardless of what it is, it's a great tree!

Thanks again to everybody for the advice!

The circle of bare earth around the trunk is caused by the root crown building upwards from underneath, pushing up at & eventually breaking the soil up. Seen it on Shumards & other oaks. I don't see any evidence of girdling roots.