(08/13/25) BATON ROUGE, La. — In southern Louisiana and Mississippi, oak trees are a common, beautiful sight in the natural landscape. However, recently, southern red oak trees have been showing concerning symptoms that resemble disease.

LSU AgCenter plant doctor Raj Singh wants to ensure that homeowners and foresters do not panic. Many are concerned that the trees may have oak wilt or another disease, but he does not believe this to be the case.

“The major concern a lot of the homeowners and the foresters are having is this southern red oak exhibiting wilting like symptoms,” Singh said. “I can say with high confidence that it is not oak wilt disease because oak wilt will produce very different kind of symptoms that we are seeing right now.”

Oak wilt disease caused by the fungus Bratziella fagacearum in southern red oaks generally causes leaves to turn reddish brown. The wilting and necrosis start on the leaf margins and tips and progress inward as the disease progresses.

Currently, southern red oak trees around the state have upward-cupped leaves with entire canopies presenting a droopy appearance. Singh believes this is because of chronic drought stress, a delayed response from the drought that the southeastern U.S. experienced in 2023.

The leaves are cupping as trees try to minimize their surface area to keep in as much water as possible, Singh explained. While the trees showed impacts of the drought immediately, these later symptoms are caused from the long-term impacts of losing feeder roots.

Trees can deal with these effects on their own, Singh said. He does not suggest making any changes to the management of these trees. Instead, he advises keeping an eye on them until spring, when the symptoms should pass.

If in doubt, it is best to consult with your local LSU AgCenter forestry agent or a certified arborist before making any decisions.

An oak tree that is suffering from chronic drought stress after the drought Louisiana experienced in 2023. Photo by Raj Singh/LSU AgCenter

Oak tree leaves will cup as they try to minimize the surface area of leaves to conserve as much water as possible. Photo by Raj Singh/LSU AgCenter