native tree volunteers

[Anonymous]

We have tons of native tree volunteers in our yard - probably two dozen white oaks and several red maples. Our mature white oaks are all dying after all of our neighbors cut theirs down in the past decade. We've had a few different arborists out and they have all said the white oaks are going to all have to come down in the next 5-10 years. We have borers and something else I can't remember the name of.

Anyway, we love our trees and know how good especially white oaks are for the environment. But a lot of these volunteers are in unfortunate places - like right against a fence or on a steep slope. Will they naturally cull themselves? Should I pull them out if they are in bad locations? Should I try to transplant a couple to better areas? Should I just leave them and see what happens? I need to hit a blend of what's best for the environment and what's best for our lot and our neighbor's lots.

[Anonymous]

You can dig them up and pot/protect them for a few years until they’re bigger, then transplant them somewhere you’d like them to stay.

[Anonymous]

I have lost a lot of white oaks too, and am replacing them with babies. You can transplant them any time, but fall after dormancy is best. I would not count on a tree deciding to die because a fence got in the way.