Officials say part of the problem is diseases, but much of the situation is just nature.

Iowa?EUR??,,????'???s landscape is now heavy on shady maples and basswoods and increasingly light on oaks. Because no single species of oak is named, any species can be considered the Iowa state tree. Because it is so widely distributed throughout the state, the bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) is the species often identified as the state tree.

The trees need a lot of light?EUR??,,????'??+preferably from three directions?EUR??,,????'??+to grow. Without help, oaks could disappear from the state.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is encouraging landowners to open areas in forests where the trees have a fighting chance.

Many oaks are dying of old age, having sprouted between the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and Franklin Pierce?EUR??,,????'??+between 200 and 150 years ago.

The oak became Iowa?EUR??,,????'???s state tree in 1961.