The oldest bur oak tree in the state of Nebraska has died after living for more then 300 years
'You start seeing pathogens within the tree of fungal infestations, and that's what we can see on this tree behind me,' said Richard Wahmeyer, the horticulturalist for the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission. 'Fungal matters from Hypoxylon Canker, which [was] ultimately what killed this tree behind me.'
Hypoxylon Canker is a type of fungus that can kill trees, and Wahmeyer says he's starting to see it on other trees in the park.
'Just within this area, I can see elm and ash trees that have also perished due to the Hypoxylon Canker,' said Wahmeyer. 'So the canker is not species dependent. It will attack or infest other species of tree.'
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Due to that threat, Wahmeyer is working to stop the spread by removing the trees around the old oak that are affected.
'Right now, we're working with the best information that we have at hand,' Richard said. 'And, so we are working towards removing this, the material that essentially is going to act as just a breeding ground for this canker, so we can get a handle on what we can potentially control.'
Currently, the park has no plans to remove the old oak, primarily for a sentimental reason.
'This was a highly treasured and celebrated visited tree,' Wahmeyer expressed. 'We want to continue to celebrate its life. So we're going to leave it standing.'
But if it continues to affect the forest, they will have to remove it.
'And if that happens, we will still try to utilize or salvage material from the tree. So it has, you know, a second life here in the park,' Wahmeyer said.
Due to the brittle tree, Wahmeyer encourages folks not to climb the tree to prevent any injuries.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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