White Oak bark falling off
Several possible explanations according to research: (1) Due to all the recent rains this spring, the trunks are expanding so rapidly that the loose bark is being caused to slough off. (2) Smooth patch disease is a fungal disease that, though not fatal to the white oak, will cause large areas of bark to slough off. (3) Something or someone is pulling off the bark, perhaps to get at bugs hiding in the inner recesses of the flakey bark. (4) Other suggested explanations (such as Hypoxylon Canker), that I am not convinced of. . . .
My bet is Door #3 above. I have lots of Quercus alba on my property of 5 acres and most of them are have piles of loose bark at their base. (I can see at least seven white oaks from my back deck.) We also have lots of squirrels, and I have personally seen one squirrel chewing & pulling off the bark from one of our white oaks, sending down a shower of loose bark over several minutes. Three different clients have already called to ask me about the problem, and two of them have also observed the squirrels pulling off the bark of the white oaks. On one of the white oaks right outside my deck, I can see where a squirrel has chewed a crescent-shaped pattern in the bark in order to remove the big piece of flakey bark.
I have seen this condition in past years on selected white oaks, but this is the worst I have seen it in 15 years of tree work. Suffice it to say, I have yet to see a white oak that has died as a result of losing some of its outer/loose bark. It might present an aesthetic problem (that is, it is an eye-sore and it's a headache to have to clean up the piles of loose bark that accumulate at the base of the trees), but it doesn't seem to be a major health concern for the trees.
