Pin oak insect/bird damage...?

[MzHopsing]

Thank you, Dadatwins, I hadn't considered that possibility concerning the rock, and I'll let the hubby know about it. We can move that rock to the road nearby, at least.

You guys are the best!

 

[Urban Forester]

The first and third pictures seem to show D shaped exit holes which are made by two-Line Chestnut borer which commonly attack Oaks under stress, see this link:

Twolined Chestnut Borer

 

[MzHopsing]

Yikes. That was a frightening read. Thankfully, though, I don't think that this insect was the cause of those trunk holes or the previous problem. The tree did, overall, look wilted in '08, but there was no defoliation or leaves turning brown to the extent of that example pic on that borer page. It said that infestation starts with the crown the first year and works it's way down in the second and third years, so those exit holes would be the final straw, so to speak. God, that would have been awful.

I was grateful to read that the downy and hairy woodpeckers, of which we have an abundance here (we feed them, also), are one of that borer's natural predators. So maybe we've taken a good preventative measure in that respect!

Thank you Urban Forester, that did make for eye-opening reading.

 

[NCTREE]

Your tree looks fine though i'd go with some hardwood bark mulch over the stone and the bigger the ring the better for the tree.

 

[MzHopsing]

Yes, definitely, and thank you, NCTree... the ol' man has decided to pull up that rock as recommended by Dadatwins, as we certainly do not want to deprive it of oxygen as time passes and the rock sinks into the soil. We're fortunate to have a large city mulching service down the road, so we'll be picking up some of that in short order.

Thanks again very much to all of you!

 

[ATH]

Here is another vote for "good decision on replacing rock with mulch".

Also wanted to say, my first 2 guesses on those holes would be red oak borer or two lined chestnut borer. Continue to look for new damage.

Both of these attack stressed trees, but healthy trees are generally not bothered. The other things you did to take care of the tree may well have made the tree healthy enough such that it was able to fight off the infestation itself...which is the best way to do it! If you see new evidence of similar holes, get another professional opinion on site, but it would probably be worth treating it with a systemic such as an imidaclorpid soil drench (sold as "Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insect Control" available at most home improvement stores).

Thanks for checking in 3 years later to update everybody on the tree!

 

[MzHopsing]

My goodness, so much to look out for! And more highly informative reading on the red oak borer..*shudder*... egads. The only reason I don't think it's the insects mentioned is because the holes have "pooched-out" edges, like a ridge on the surface, which leads me to think of birds, unlike those flat surfaced exit holes in those pictures on the web pages I found on the borer insects. But what do I know..? :msp_unsure: And thankfully, comparing the '08 pictures to today, I'm pretty sure there's not any new ones. Also, I'm not finding any frass accumulation or other strange discoloration on the bark... which is a relief.

Having said that, I will still absolutely pick up that soil treatment mentioned too, thank you, ATH!! Better to be safe than sorry. I don't know why that never occurred to me before, strangely. I wonder if such a treatment would help with that cherry tree that I mentioned in another thread... the one with the leaf spot...? I know that one's not afflicted with insects, but perhaps some anti-fungal treatment... :msp_unsure::msp_unsure: (two this time..heh..:msp_rolleyes

I'm glad that I could be of some service with these "before and later" pictures! You guys and gals are the salt of the earth, so to speak; thanks again for all you do!

 

[sgreanbeans]

The holes look like light feeding by sapsucker; see attached.

lots of tree issues in your landscape; an assessment by a pro on site is warranted; see Trees Are Good to find someone local.

Like he said
Pretty sure those holes are from the yellow belly sapsucker, borer holes are not systematic, like the ones in the pic. YBS does his work in a orderly, proficient manner, which makes the tree look like it was hit with a tommy gun.

 

[MzHopsing]

A tommy gun, yes, exactly! That's how the holes were on those fir trees (pines, I think, I can't recall now) that up and died on us within a year of each other some years back. We never see the birds that do this, but we were virtually sure they were the culprits. Some really vicious damage, and I wish I had taken pictures of those trunks before they were disposed of.