What can destroy oak trees?
— One common element that destroys oak trees is fire. When fire, caused by lightning or by a careless human being, hits a tree, the fire can spread and burn several trees. Another common destruction is caused by developments and the use of trees for wood.Another common cause of oak tree deaths is beetles, fungi, and bad weather. As I am finishing developing this lesson (Jun 2000) I heard on the radio the following amazing story. Oak trees in Marin County (which is north of San Francisco) are dying at a rate that has reached epidemic proportions, and scientists still don’t know the cause of this2,3. Oaks, which typically take a year or so to die from infections, have been reported to die in just two to three weeks. Such massive die back of live oaks has never been reported in California, and a severe environmental crisis is expected in the months and years to come.Balancing Tales — For a forest to grow and develop into such nice habitats, there needs to be an almost perfect balance be
