Dying willow oak?

[Harold E. Anderson]

I recently spent time at a one day seminar for the Stewardship 
Incentative Program plan writers in Northern Michigan.  It sounds 
suspeciously like a diease I believe they called amalaria.  It attacks 
tree roots when their has been some damage to the root system (often from 
transplanting).  There seems to be several strains of this fungus, some 
more powerful than others.  In the Lake States problems exist when 
poor hardwood sites are converted to pine.  The hardwood root stocks 
provide food and living conditions favorable for the fungus to survive 
many years.  Pine root systems on the other hand are small and fine 
enough to rot away quite quickly.  I was told of some places where 
harvest specifications were to push the trees over before severing the 
tree from the root stocks.  The thus exposed roots dried out and posed 
little to no danger.  Hope this will lead you to the right path.