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Oak Wilt question
asop
Member Posts: 8,979 ✭✭✭✭
Our neighbor had an infected oak removed yesterday. (windy day) Came home last night and found all kinds of saw dust (rather large chips) all over our yard. We have red/black oaks and am wondering if these chips might spread the oak wilt to our oaks? Thanks
Comments
Not a good time of year to work on oaks. Yes it can travel when cuts or wounds are made. Could travel through the roots if close enough. Trees can be innoculated if necessary.
Is this the disease where the bark dies on gets thin on one side of the tree first? Then starts dying from within? If so, we've always heard it called "Oak mold disease" and they say it can be carried by contaminated cutting tools like limb trimmers and chainsaws, it is generally transmits through the roots like JimmyJack mentioned. They said in some areas it is so bad the best prevention is to actually put in sheetmetal panels in the dirt around the roots of large established trees.
For us here in Oklahoma, it seems to only affect Blackjack Oak which honestly, isn't a big loss.
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"Never do wrong to make a friend----or to keep one".....Robert E. Lee
Had to deal with oak wilt on a large scale - between us and neighbors on either side, about 35 trees had to be removed.One of the approved ways to dispose of the smaller limbs is by chipping so sawdust and chips should be okay. Oak wilt is transmitted from infected trees to healthy ones in two ways; by picnic beetles carrying the infection from a diseased tree to cuts or wounds on healthy ones or through the root system. Mature trees can be 100 feet or more apart and the roots will be grafted together, spreading the fungal infection. Red oaks are really susceptible to this and it's always fatal to this species. Heres a link to more info: https://chemjettreeinjector.com/oak-wilt-treatment-prevention/ . Hope this helps.