Trees Need Care
Trees require regular maintenance to keep them healthy and looking good. The colder days of late Fall and Winter are tree time! The weather is cooler and the Oak Wilt bugs are less active. Still, we have to take precautions for Oak Wilt. Oak What?

Oak wilt is an aggressive fungal-disease that affects many species of oak. It is one of the most serious tree diseases in the eastern United States and Texas, killing thousands of oaks each year in forests, woodlots, and home landscapes. It attacks the water-carrying arteries of the tree and clogs them. Live Oaks, White Oaks and Red Oaks (often called Spanish Oaks) are affected. White Oaks have a natural resistance and may recover or take several years to die. Some Live Oaks may live a year or more with the fungus but most die within a few months. Red Oaks die quickly, usually within a few weeks to a few months. Common symptoms include "veinal necrosis", by which the leaves develop yellow to reddish-brown coloration of their veins.

Oak Wilt spreads primarily in two ways. Local spread can occur through root systems, as intertwined roots pass the disease from tree to tree. Oak Wilt can also spread great distances carried by specific beetles attracted to the oak sap. Any wound to the tree releases oak sap and potentially attracts the beetle. Heavy equipment used in development and improper pruning have contributed to tree damage, sap leakage and the beetle's rapid spread of the fungus. Under certain high-moisture conditions, the dead Red Oak will host "fungal mat" development under its bark. Fungal mats will burst the bark open to reveal a highly concentrated spore colony.

Control and protection are the primary defenses against Oak Wilt. Infected Red Oaks should be removed immediately. Burning, burying or open-air drying kills the fungus. Trenching down four feet around infected trees has proven effective in halting local root spread. Any pruning of oaks should be treated with a proper pruning paint such as Tree Kote. Paint seals the wound and the release of the beetle-attracting sap and acts as a barrier.

Be careful when bringing firewood to your property, it may have been infected by the fungus. If suspicious about your firewood, cover it with clear plastic. Trapped beetles go toward light sources to find an exit. Clear plastic helps confuse and trap them.

More information can be found at the United States Forest Service web site at: How To Identify, Prevent, and Control Oak Wilt