Way off topic - Tree Canker? - Picture included - Anyone who does landscaping look here

[PDANEWBIE]

Okay I have an oak tree that is about 10 feet from the back of the house and is well over 25 feet tall. Its trunk I would say is about 4-5 feet wide at the base and it leans slightly towards the house.

During the last hurricane season most of the branches came down and there are still a bunch left in the tree-top. In all it has very few green things growing on it at all.

I have read a bunch on tree canker and it looks to be a slow moving disease from what I am seeing but I think my tree now has it. I saw a few spots that look like -

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/KIguy/DSC00221.jpg

What I need to know is the guy wants 500$ to pune it back or 1,100$ to remove it completely remove it. Do you think this canker issomething that would cause the tree to fail in the next year or so or do you think this is saveable.

The ones I have talked to said its ultimately my decision and they can't say but I feel thats ot giving me enough info. Does canker spread faster than I imagine it. Is this a tree I should worry about with it being so close to our house?

Any thoughts much appreciated.

[Pdaholic]

It's hard to tell from the picture if it is really tree canker, but I assume it is. If the tree has multiple areas of canker, you might as well cut it down, especially if your house is that close. Chance are you won't be able to prune it all away, and the tree's death is only a matter of time.

But I must say, 1100 is alot to have to pay to cut it down. You must live in an expensive area. I would look for an independent, cheaper company--but they don't always have insurance if things go wrong.

Good luck.

[PDANEWBIE]

Yeah there are a ton of these spots and this is on the trunk and it looks like alot of the pictures of canker that I looked up. As far as it being expensive this is seeming to be average around here. This also includes stump removal and debris removal.

The biggest spot is probably the size of a side dish (the one you see in the picture above.)

As far as not having insurance with this being so close to my house I would feel safer with them having the insurance.

Basically I just don't want to shell out 500 for a pruning if I have to then a few months down the road spend the 1k.

[Pdaholic]

Sounds like you've made up your mind.

TIMBERRRRRRR! 8O

[Jon Westfall]

Sorry PDANEWBIE, sounds like you were fond of this tree! But think of the good you've done, now if I see this sort of thing on any of my trees, I'll know what it is!

[Roosterman]

It looks like this could be Hypoxylon canker of oak. It will devastate the tree relatively quickly and the tree will die. I would say take it down and be done with it. For more info you can check out this link: http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=1247133

Sorry.

[drop]

If you post the picture at this site, many experts could advice you.

Dave's Garden Forum (http://davesgarden.com/index.php)

[PDANEWBIE]

Well the concensus around about 6 different plant forums have been to chop it down. Only 2 said to try saving but both of those said it would be costly and may not work.

Sorry to hear my tree has to go.