How Do You Treat Oak Wilt?

September 30, 2021 Kris Birch

Transforming your landscape into a captivating haven after months of hard work is a truly gratifying moment. As you witness the changing seasons and revel in the beauty of your dream garden, it's easy to assume that your oak trees are impervious to risks. Towering tall and exuding warmth and lush greenery, oak trees embody a sense of blissful permanence. However, it is crucial to recognize that oak wilt poses a very real threat to their well-being. In this comprehensive guide, we will unveil the steps needed to identify and overcome this formidable challenge. By learning about the disease and implementing effective strategies early on, you can safeguard the health and beauty of your landscape.

Oak wilt is a deadly fungal disease that causes the wilting and eventual death of oak trees. This disease is especially prominent on live oaks, Shumard oaks, Spanish oaks, water oaks, blackjack oaks, and other members of the red oak family. White oak trees are also susceptible to the infection but appear to be more tolerant to the effects of oak wilt. However, this doesn’t mean they aren’t at risk.

How Does Oak Wilt Spread?

Oak wilt, caused by the fungus Ceratocystis fagacerum, can spread through beetles and root-to-root contact. The fungus forms mats under the bark, attracting sap-feeding insects like beetles that carry spores to other trees. To minimize spread, create a buffer zone that severs roots between neighboring trees, isolating wilted tree centers from healthy ones. This helps prevent the infection from easily spreading through the root system.

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How Can you Prevent Oak Wilt?

Protecting the health and value of your property requires proactive treatment to prevent damaging infestations. Ensure the vitality of your oak trees by opting for preventative root flare injections.

At Birch Tree Care, our certified arborists can assist you in staying ahead of potential issues. However, if you haven't received the injections yet, it's crucial to remain vigilant for any signs of oak wilt and take appropriate action.

What Are the Symptoms of Oak Wilt and How to Spot Them?

Identifying oak wilt without professional assistance can be challenging, as its symptoms can resemble those of other plant diseases. Look for the following signs:

Sudden yellowing or browning of leaves on a branch
Leaf shedding while the majority of the tree remains green
Presence of dark circles in lighter branch tissues or bark

Again, oak wilting is hard to recognize early on, especially without professional help, but there are a few things that you can do to prevent the infected trees from causing more damage.

Avoid transporting firewood from oak-wilt-infected trees to new areas.
Paint over tree wounds with latex paint to mask the odor of fungal mats and deter sap-feeding damage by bark beetles.
Minimize pruning, preferably during winter when beetles are dormant.
To mitigate root-to-root contact, root-prune infected trees by severing connecting roots using a plow pulled behind a large tractor.

If you’d like in-depth knowledge about oak wilt, check out our oak wilt treatment services to see how we can help keep your oak trees healthy and thriving.

Dark circle in the middle of the bark indicates that it might have oak wilt.

How to Treat Oak Wilt?

The sudden yellowing of oak leaves suggests the onset of oak wilt disease.

How to treat oak wilt?

While these are steps that can minimize the spread of infection, it is important to treat the initial source and cause of the wilted oaks. The treatment is a serious responsibility and requires professional expertise. It is important to use heavy equipment (usually only available at tree service facilities) to break the tree’s connection with other oak trees nearby.

You can stay ahead of the infections by ensuring your oak trees are protected with preventative root flare injections, available at Birch Tree Care.

If you think one or more of your oak trees may be showing signs of oak wilting, it is vital you seek professional help immediately. Birch Tree Care’s certified arborists and technicians have the knowledge and expertise to help you protect your oak trees from this dangerous disease.