Black Oak Down

July 27, 2009 I cut down a black oak in the back yard for firewood. There was not one green leaf on the entire tree although some of last year's leaves were still hanging on. The buds were there but blackened and dead. I am not sure why this tree died, there were some dead branches but no extensive rot or punky wood. The diameter at 30" off the ground was 13.5 inches. The main trunk was straight and long measuring 39' 9" from the ground to the first bifurcation. Measured on the ground the tree to the top of the crown was 67' 6".
I counted 80 rings in the lowest cut. The last eight years of growth produced a yellowish wood in contrast to the usual orange color in the rest of the tree. The twelve years before that showed very slow growth, followed by 19 years of fast growth, then 5 years slow growth and finally 35 years of fairly fast growth. The timeline would go something like this. 1929 The seed germinates and grows fairly fast until 1964, perhaps originally in an open field. 1964 to 1969 growth slows dramatically perhaps due to drought. Growth picks up again in 1970 to 1989; at some point here the house was built about 150 feet from the tree. Growth slows dramatically from 1989 to 2001. The trees are very dense at this time growing right up to the house. From 2001 to 2009 growth is respectable but there is a change in the tissue perhaps indicating disease. In 2004 P had fill placed in the back yard which may have smothered some of the roots. There are two other oaks close by about the same age which are also dead or at least are leafless this year. They are a little farther back into the woods than this one was.