Bacterial wetwood

Conroe, TX(Zone 9a)

I have just discovered that the big oak tree, 76 in diameter, between my house and my neighbors' has bacterial wetwood. The signs are wet looking areas on the bark near the bottom of the tree with areas of foamy slime. There is also the smell of vinagar. From the information I have read there is no treatment but they don't say if the tree will eventually die. I really hate to loose this tree. Has anyone had any experience with this? I am wondering if I should go ahead and have it removed as we are getting ready to have some other trees removed for an addition to the house.

La Grange, TX(Zone 8b)

This site says the slime is toxic to the cambium and will kill it. If the cambium is killed in a girdling circle around the tree, the tree will die. So your goal will be to control is spread. I hope these sites will help you. Contact your nearest Texas Forest Service Office for help. When our water oaks were dying at an alarming rate, one of the technicians came over to look at the trees and offer some advice.
For the following site, click on your county's image. The redirected link gives you a list of TFS programs. Click on Urban Forestry for the contact information.
http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?ctrl=13

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/02910.html
http://www.utextension.utk.edu/publications/spfiles/SP631.pdf
http://forestry.about.com/b/2009/05/27/bacterial-wetwood-prevention-and-control-of-slime-flux.htm

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