Hi there! Thank you for using the hotline to report this sighting. I went to the location you provided and also noticed the patchy canopy dieback. I've spoken to staff from Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife and they believe this dieback is normal activities of squirrels and parasitic wasps that commonly cause small amounts of damage. Regardless, I have passed this report along to an expert from the Oregon Department of Forestry to investigate further.

Cierra Dawson
June 25, 2025, 8:45 a.m.

Hi Cressa, thank you for your report. Damage from gall-making insects + squirrels digging at these grubs has been particularly high this year but despite how bad it looks oaks survive this damage just fine. More info here: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/documents/forestbenefits/oak-pests.pdf
https://www.oregon.gov/odf/documents/forestbenefits/oak-pests.pdf

Christine Buhl
June 26, 2025, 12:44 a.m.