AUSTIN, Texas — With cleanup efforts ramping up around the Austin area and landscapers booked out for months, Texas A&M Forest Service experts are now warning against oak wilt.
Oak wilt is one of the most destructive tree diseases in the U.S. and has killed oak trees in Central Texas at epidemic proportions, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. Oak wilt season runs from Feb. 1 through the end of June.
The most recent winter storm that came through Texas could be the reason this disease spreads quickly. The good news is, if you have an oak tree that broke during the freezing temperatures, it is unlikely it will catch the disease.
"So my main concern isn't necessarily with the trees that were broken during the storm," said Grace Wilson, operations manager for Cathey's Tree Service. "The trees do scab themselves over and are not susceptible to the transmission of oak."
When it's cold, wounded trees stop producing sap and the sap-feeding beetles also go dormant. The problems come after.
With so many fallen trees, cleanup efforts have ramped up – meaning many landscaping companies are cutting trees and removing tree limbs. This creates new wounds that attract contaminated sap beetles.
Texas A&M Forest Service experts recommend applying a thin coat of latex or pruning paint to all fresh wounds and other injuries that expose the inner bark or sapwood of oaks. This prevents contaminated sap beetles from infecting the wound with oak wilt spores.
Wilson also said if you hire someone, it's important that they follow International Society of Arboriculture protocol.
"Those basics include disinfecting your tools and spraying the wounds as soon as you make the cuts," she said.
Many of the oak trees in Central Texas have been around for decades. Taking care of your trees so the disease doesn't spread to your neighbors' trees is also important.
Texas A&M Forest Service experts say by following these preventative steps, you can stop the spread of the fungus:
- Select well-seasoned firewood. Well-seasoned wood is cut before the summer and is typically dry, with loose bark and cracked ends. The extreme heat and dry conditions of a full Texas summer effectively destroy the fungus in cut firewood
- Store unknown sources of firewood under plastic. Cover the woodpile with a clear piece of plastic. Burying the edges of the plastic will prevent the entry or exit of insects that might have been attracted to diseased wood
- Destroy diseased red oaks. Trees suspected to have died recently from oak wilt should be destroyed by burning, burying or chipping. The heat of a fire destroys the fungus and the smoke emitted poses no threat to healthy trees
- Avoid wounding oaks during vulnerable seasons. The general recommendation is to avoid injuries to oaks from February through June. The best times to prune oaks are during the heat of the summer (minimal spore production) or the cold of winter (minimal insect activity)
- Paint all oak wounds including pruning cuts. Throughout the year, immediately apply a thin coat of latex or pruning paint to all fresh wounds and other injuries that expose the inner bark or sapwood of oaks. This prevents contaminated sap beetles from infecting the wound with oak wilt spores