Oak Wilt endangers thousands of trees

T

TMW

Location
OH
http://herald-zeitung.com/story.lasso?ew...015FAOsyhR1E28B

While the spread of human disease has dominated headlines the last two weeks, oak trees in Central Texas are falling prey to their own deadly epidemic.

Oak Wilt is an easily spread fungal infection that already has killed thousands of trees in surrounding counties, and cases of the lethal disease have been identified in Comal County — including one in Landa Park.

“Oak Wilt is an extremely devastating disease,” said Robert Edmunson, a biologist with the Texas Forest Service. “It is the worst tree disease that we have in Texas.”

Although to varying degrees, virtually every species of oak is susceptible to Oak Wilt, which invades the root system and disables the trees’ water-distribution ability, according to the TFS.

“It basically shuts the water off,” Edmunson said.

Oak Wilt has been identified in as many as 72 counties across the state, including around a dozen sites in Comal County. While frightening, it’s a far cry from neighboring counties like Gillespie, which he said has as many as 2,000 Oak Wilt sites.

One of Landa Park’s oak trees was diagnosed with Oak Wilt and subsequently removed this month, said Kelly Eby, an urban forester for the city of New Braunfels. But further measures will be needed to prevent the disease from spreading to other trees and to make sure the county doesn’t begin to suffer as others in the area already are.

Oak Wilt spreads through the roots of the trees, which often are connected and intertwined with other trees, making it easier to spread from one to the next.

Edmunson said the best way to prevent it from circulating through the root system is to dig trenches and cut the roots off from one another. And although it won’t prevent spreading, an antifungal injection can also save the lives of trees in the area of an infected tree.

In Landa Park, Eby said 13 oak trees — including two on Landa Park Municipal Golf Course — will be receiving antifungal injections next week.

But given the diversity of tree species in Landa Park and the isolated area in which the one case was found, significant tree loss from Oak Wilt is not a concern in the park.

“We feel like it’s something we can most likely contain,” New Braunfels Parks Director Stacey Laird said.

Around the county, the TFS is asking residents to do their part to stop the disease from spreading.

Aside from traveling through the root system, Oak Wilt is also spread by sap-feeding insects who carry spores of the fungus with them and search out fresh wounds on oak trees that might be rich in sap.

To avoid giving the insects places to infect the trees, the TFS recommends that residents don’t prune their oak trees from Feb. 1 to June 1. Residents should also make sure to paint recently cut areas on oak trees — including freshly-cut stumps and damaged surface roots — immediately to lessen possible insect exposure.

“It’s always good practice to know what you can do to prevent the spread of Oak Wilt,” Eby said.

More information on Oak Wilt will be available during three public meetings later this month, beginning on 7 p.m. Monday at the New Braunfels Civic/Convention Center.
 
Im glad we don't have this up in New England, yet, oaks are such a fun climb. I would hate to see them go. I didn't think that tree paint worked on keeping things out, so what proper techniques should be done to control the wilt Oakwilt?
 
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I didn't think that tree paint worked on keeping things out, so what proper techniques should be done to control the wilt Oakwilt?

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I'm curious about the tree paint thing too?
confused.gif
Anybody know if it does really works to help lock out Oak wilt on a cut. We have a few scattered cases around here.
 
I've heard for years that we don't paint to create a barrier, but rather to cover the pheromones that are created in response to the wound, so that no insects will be attracted. A few months ago I took the Texas Forest Service's oak wilt certification class and they said it was to create a barrier. I asked about the other and they said smell might be a factor but mostly it was the barrier.

From the late 1900's on, we were told "paint your cuts, just in case." Shigo said, after a few years of this, that we needed some science to back that up--"just in case" was not a valid excuse anymore. David Appel at TAMU has done two studies in which he says he proved painting helps. I'll leave it to you to read the studies and determine the level of proof we're talking about, but Appel seems convinced that paint creates a barrier to infection and should be used during high-risk times. Here in central TX, that's year-round, due to highly variable and frequently mild weather. Most companies use Tree-Kote or equivalent. A few use cheap black lacquer from the builder's supply warehouses. We (and a couple of others I know of) use Krylon Eco-Guard, a water-based (latex) spray paint. It isn't any more pleasant to deal with painting all the time, but at least it scrubs off of skin pretty easily, and I believe it is less toxic to tree tissues. Occasionally I hear of a company using "clear paint", but now a lot of the regs are being written to specify black paint so these guys can't get away with such claims.
 
im interested to hear about tree paint because my professors say that tree paint has no pros for the tree to help it callus over. Does anyone want to give their experience with tree paint, does it work?
 
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Does anyone want to give their experience with tree paint, does it work?

[/ QUOTE ]If it prevents cracking, it lessens the infection courts for decay to get into the tree.
 
Short reply...Neem oil (botanical) mixed with bar oil (tablespoon to the gallon) will provide residual prevention long enough for severed vascular tissue to seal effectively, a deterrence to disease vectoring insects, anti-bacterial, fungicidal, anti-viral and in such low concentration...non-toxic to applicator.

Callousing appears to be faster, and even with backyard engineering, the scabbard for the Silky or the leather-head for the pole saw can be treated with minimal dosage enough so that an effective application to live wounds is made...at least by my observations over hours/days/weeks on innoculation studies - two to three hours after wounding the window closes for infection by carrier or drift - the residual levels of Neem appeared effective for 24 and 48 hours - weather notwithstanding.

Either way, when the facts are that live oaks in motts infect...overland transmission is a moot point and addressing preventive barriers in individual stems is not productive.

I may not be able to respond to further questions on this in a timely manner, please excuse me. Not able to log on much for the time being but will check as often as possible..
 
You're welcome...but keep in mind that I'm focused on live oak varieties in Texas although the Neem I use for all wounds on all species.

The calender information on wounding within the appropriate time of year has to be supplemented with the information that only the Natidulid vector is implicated as the only transmission possibility that was positive after isolation tests...discounting possibilities that other insect varieties may be also potential transmission sources. Additionally, seasonal anomolies in TX present vast variables in the activity of this proven vector...other overland movement of the sexual spores must be considered - from wind to mammalian to untested (not yet found in the traps) insect parasites...the time windows are generally useless if we can drive down the road in a January evening when daytime temps reached 70 degrees...bugs splatter on the windshield...all potential disease vectors. We've cultivated positives from disk filters sucking air at 5,600 ft. altitude...no bugs present. However, the time frames suggested for a semi-dormant live oak to adapt to severe intentional wounding, except their "July and rest of summer 'til Winter"...is generally a good idea for the healthiest recoveries, disease or not.
 
Oakwilt,

I just wanted to be sure I understand you. It sounds like you are saying that adding Neem Oil into your bar oil is enough protection to keep from spraying wounds with paint? Is this correct? Thanks for the info!
 
I am in SE Pa. I try to cover my larger cuts with a thin coat of paint. I am not to sure we have the same big issues up here but from the maps I have seen its all over.
I just got done pole pruning lower branches of a very large oak, head back cuts, some at 5 inch dia.
I think I will try some of this Neem oil and will look around for it.Thanks.
 
So now I am curious about public perception. The Live Oaks in Travis Heights here in Austin have been hit pretty hard. Public awareness is strong around town about OW. I have been on jobs in neighborhoods here where all the neighbors come out to make sure you are painting. So I guess what I am getting at is: Is there any literature on using neem oil? How do I calm peoples fears when I tell them I dont paint wounds because I have a secret recipe? Is there any talk amongst City and County agencies about this method.
If it works it would save allot of time on the job.
I have also heard discussions lately about how the Live Oak population in Central TX is about 200 times larger than it is historically known to be and this could be a big reason that OW is so bad here. I dont really know this to be true or not but found the idea kind of interesting. Any Thoughts?
 
From years past when OW was the reason many neighborhood associations organized - the principle information distributed was from TAMU...and still is.

There have always been two distinctly seperate schools of thought on the issue: one academic that's funded in large part by whoever happens to own the current label and rights to three differing formulations of propaconazole / and the other science from those who have correlated changes in environment to disease outbreaks and understand the changes in metabolism that distress resistance mechanisms.

The academic route hasn't changed it's recommendations since the week in 1983 when they insisted that the expanding disease centers in Medina county wasn't oak wilt but "decline", insisting the data from MN indicating survival needs for the fungi pre-empted any possible outbreaks in TX. Not only were they wrong and assuming, the initial attempts to control these diebacks were blind faith injections of Arbotect...leading to mutational resistance and virulent changes in the disease.

Always taking the easy road, citing research data from the northern states pretty much dictated the Texas management programs from then until now - trenching, sterol-inhibiting fungistat injections, removals and quaranteen programs let alone cost assistance for control programs. Fair enough maybe for urban individual trees, not considering forests and needs of epidemic potentials.

The mentality of the programs used are pervasive, you'll only find resistance to attempting to approach the issue with an open mind - even criminal prosecution for advocating treatments NOT based on the State's protocols.

I'm rural and ended my proactive treatments programs on increasing resistance to effects of infection, stimulating immune response to inevitable infection, and changing soil chemistry to resist encroachment from interconnective root tissue infections - never sited a trenchline in the fifteen years working on OW.


individual tree owners or customers - work with them on a one to one need basis...Neem the wounds after detailed explanations and approval, the other's? Do as they think you need to be doing, sorry...that's the state of the mind on this epidemic and one large factor on it being an epidemic.

The flip side of working out in areas where the long arm of convention that dictates AND enforces mandates, often blind and misled ones, is that I can exercise variables in working with disease and always have the same trees over years telling me what works and what doesn't. True, we have hacks here doing most of the work, people often can't see the trees anymore than truth in foreign policy, and the health overall of our rural trees speak volumes of the conditions we're under.


years since invitations and work done in Austin neighborhood by neighborhood was done from our end...each session turned into a debate, sides were adamant about what was right and what would work - now we have a decade of experience and recollection of the initial programs...and they haven't changed from what you're stating. There isn't any published data on Neem which is partly my own fault - cound not afford to fund the study we started nor could excite any capital sources. The responsibility of science under the public fund (TAMU) is to research ideas and promote conclusions...they never expressed an interest in looking into alternative wound dressings.

On your last thought - yes, man's changes are evident in the composition of the Hill country...seasonal fires, fences, plowing, pastures, private properties, Bison to beef, prarie hens to sheeps, etc. From grasslands and savannah to 90% oaks in forest numbers, we're perfect for an epidemic - like influenza dogging the cities' schools and air travel spreading infectious spew, we're at fault and not unlike the coal plants in Northern Mexico giving us rainfall pH often of vinegar and sulfur dioxide/uranium fallout to mercury our fish down to public warnings of eating only once a week? Yeah, man's at fault and no church of the blessed military/GMC/Cheneyesque grow or die mentality's excuse that climate change isn't happening and Saddam did 9/11 will change things - only make them worse.

I'm sitting here fighting a cancer that genetics linked to Agent Orange used in the Superior National Forest for brush control and manufactured by Dow in Mississippi in 1972...the contracting ranger told us (from UofMich data) that it was safe and he even drinked it. Glad he died but he had a choice, I didn't.
homeowners have a choice too, but at this late stage...let 'em pay for what they're told to do and hope for the best.
always consider the law's on their side.
 
...and right now I'm promoting hackberry, blue-seed juniper, and cedar elms as the most disease resistant and adaptable-to-extreme-change trees we've come across on the plateau...to the consternation of the "native-species" purists who have failed to gauge the changes upon us.

Realizing these extremes, it's time I'm fighting against here, and convention...no longer sensitive to aesthetic or corporate sensibilities. In many ways, the loss of the "invasive" stands of live oaks is an influenced natural reaction to monoculture by human culture, lessons from the Northern elms planted endlessly end to end notwithstanding...we're after a silver bullet in a pill form, miraculous pharmacy to allow Alzheimered rheumatoided cardiac failure-by-fried foods people to run again in the park, alongside butterflies and dancing dogs if we just ask our doctors about it.

ALAMO is an utter failure, as were the trenching suggestions in Texas, but someone banked a healthy hedge fund-resistant-to-recession golden egg at the expense of millions who believed the "data".

There remain choices for infected or threatened oaks, just gotta look deeper. Try surfing "Ferrous sulfate" and Iowa and see what else is out there.

After all the last two year's costly failures...I would think people would think different about starched shirts and ties, $50,000 pick-up trucks, fiscal advice from Bear Stearns and the Fed, and research from A&M that's funded by Dow, Monsanto, or now...even Rainbow.
 
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