Question
I have a 44 year old water oak.  This tree appeared perfectly healthy and fine up until mid-September 2010.  I began noticing the leaves starting to turn orange-brown, but not falling off. I took pictures of the tree and consulted an arborist in Texas.  At that time it appeared the tree was under heat stress.  I live in Central Alabama, and we had a very dry summer.  In December, we had a tornado come through that took out many branches from the top of the tree, and we had to get help removing branches.  The gentlemen that helped us worked for a tree service and noticed a lot of brown fungus on the upper branches.  It is February 2011 now, and the brown fungus is all over the tree.  It seems to have started at the top and worked its way down.  It appears to be very fast growing.  When I touch the brown (almost beige) spots it comes off on the finger kind of powdery/chalky.  I have begun noticing patches in the bark that appear black.  It is slowly dropping the dead leaves, but I have noticed no new development or budding as we are warming back up for spring.  The only thing we have done differently from the past is use a lawn care service to spray our yard.  Any suggestions.  I've researched about diseases and such for oaks, but nothing seems to quite fit what is going on with my tree.  I've tried getting our City Horticulturist to come look, but with no luck.  Any advice or assistance would be appreciated.  I can take pictures of the trunk if that would help.

Answer
Please send a picture of the leaves with the fungus and the bark.   Also tell me what part of central Alabama you are in and I will try to get someone to go check the trees. I live in Montgomery and have contacts in the state forestry commission who should be able to come take a look.  Send the picture to [email protected] or attach to the question --you can only attach one at a time so you will have to ask a couple of duplicate questions.