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Oak wilt can be treated with proper measures and
proper diagnosis. If you suspect that your trees may
have oak wilt or you have oak wilt in your
neighborhood, it is important to contact a reputable
arborist familiar with Oak Wilt or the Texas Forest
Service in your area. For Kerrville, Boerne, Bandera
area call Mark Duff at 1-830-257-7744 or e-mail -
tfskerr@ktc.com.
For Johnson City, Stone Wall, and Fredericksburg
contact: Robert Edmonson 1-830 868-7949 or e-mail -
tfsjc@moment.net.
Both are very knowledgeable and active in the Oak Wilt
Suppression Project.
There is a growing concern
about information among homeowners and landowners who
may have been misinformed about the fungus and
treatment. The concern about misguided information and
misinterpretation is legitimate. It is my fear that
they may be misguided and misinformed to undertake and
apply expensive and useless foliar type treatments on
their oaks under the guise of preventing or even
curing oak wilt, applying the proper oak wilt
macroinfusion protocols recommended and prescribed by
Texas A. & M. Misdiagnosis of the disease of
erroneous practices can be costly to homeowners and
landowners alike and will not save their trees. (See
article Oak Wilt Treatments)
The chances of getting oak wilt
can be greatly reduced by following certain guidelines
by the Texas Forest Service and Texas A & M. Beware of
unseasoned firewood whether it is live oak or red oak,
as new oak wilt centers have been started in just this
fashion. Insects and fungus mats on unseasoned
firewood can be a source of inoculums for new oak wilt
centers. Firewood should be cured thoroughly for at
least six months through the summer heat. The pathogen
is destroyed when the moisture content of the firewood
is below 38%.
Just because an oak tree dies or looks sick does not
mean it has oak wilt. This is a common misdiagnosis
and is just an easy way to cause undue panic. The
problem could be herbicides, drought stress, insects
construction damage, Hypoxylon or other wilt diseases.
This is often the case for genuine oak wilt
misdiagnosis. The most diagnostic symptoms of oak wilt
in the live oaks is a symmetrical brown discoloration
along the midrib and lateral veins of the leaves (like
a fishbone effect) from infected trees. You can
also see tip burn (edges turning
brown) or a marbling effect of different colors
and shades of green, yellows and browns. Oak trees
having been properly diagnosed as having oak wilt can
be treated.
Correct pruning procedures can prevent oak wilt. If
possible, only prune your oak trees during the coldest
days of winter, November to mid-February, and the
hottest days of summer from mid-June to early October.
The recommended period to avoid and an absolute “No -
No” to pruning oak trees near infection centers is
from mid-February to mid-June. However, keep in mind
that this is just a rule of thumb and the conditions
you are really trying to avoid is mild, moist weather.
Your professional tree service is aware of these
factors and will take all necessary precautions to
paint wounds and sterilize equipment at all times
during the year. Since this disease only affects oak
trees, the recommendations do not apply to other
species of trees. You should paint all oak pruning
wounds immediately with just a simple black spray
paint, which acts as a physical barrier to seal the
wood and keep insects out. The cut or wound is most
active to the beetles that spread oak wilt fungus
during the first 24 to 36 hours, and after 72 hours
old painting will not help.
Oak wilt is a serious problem and the
homeowner/landowner should take into account the risk
factor and value of trees becoming infected with oak
wilt. In dealing with any serious problem, being well
informed, not being scared by incomplete information
or misinformation, and knowing what to do to prevent
the disease from affecting trees in your landscape is
the best medicine you can have for your peace of
mind.
Scenic Hills Nursery specializes in the treatment and
prevention practices of oak wilt, and a total tree
care service for the Texas Hill Country. This includes
oak wilt inspection, diagnosis and analysis,
preventative and therapeutic macroinjection. We assist
in providing trenching services and laying out trench
lines. In addition, we provide tree and stump removal,
and trimming and tree replacement. We also provide
organic tree fertilization, foliar and deep root
injection as well as ball moss and insect control.
http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/ |
