OK! Red Oak36 yrs. In an area of the tree. It has bug damage. White stuff that comes though pruning seal.?

Question:Dose any one know what the white stuff is. I need some advise. I want to save the tree with out spending lots of bucks. I will do that, if I have to. Ginger

Answers:
You could have a fungal disease called Oak Wilt which is spread by nitidulid beetles or oak bark beetles. If you see cracked bark over top of these white patches, or if you notice the leaves turning brown around the top, or going a dull green or bronze colour, that's what you have, and you need to call an arborist right away to discuss treatment.

The good news is that your oak probably doesn't have Oak Wilt. Most likely it has a minor bacterial infection as a result of contact with the pruning sealant. The sealant has toxic chemicals in it and can irritate the tree's cambium layer. The infection will probably clear itself up eventually.

For the most part, pruning sealant shouldn't be used, but with red oaks, using it can prevent the spread of oak wilt.