The tree is down, and the fellows are still working at sawing it into sections and rolling them to the edge of the lot. BIG pile of woodchips to use to mulch around the many remaining trees.

The tree had clearly just died. The wood is solid all the way down. Beautiful white oak. The fungus got between the cambium layer and the bark, killing the cambium layer. Says the best thing I can do to protest the remaining trees is to protect them from stress as much as is possible. I can treat the fungus, but will not be able to eliminate it's presence. The severe 3 year drought is what he thinks was the main stressor. However, with so many trees, it would be extravagantly expensive to keep them sufficiently irrigated during a drought. He says grass is much more competitive than I realize, and recommends I mulch as much of the yard as I can.