Tree dormancy in regards to oak wilt.

[Jeff]

What determing factors should I use to determine when it is safe this fall to have several red oak trees removed?

[Texas Ranger]

Oak wilt can and is spread by root grafting, as well as bugs.  For bugs, to be extra cautious, after the first frost, for root grafting your on your own. 

In reality, here we cut oak wilt infected trees year round and process the tree in one way or the other.

[LeeB]

I may be mistaken, but I believe it can also be spread by airborn spores if the stuff has made a fungal mat under the bark. Fungi don't spread well when there is no moisture. Texas A&M always told us to work with it during the winter. I never saw any way to actually stop it from spreading, only slow it down.

[LeeB]

Looking for info on oak wilt is what brought me to the forum to begin with. I think it actually had a different name back then.

[Jeff]

I think the guidelines for northern climate must be different from the south. I want to have these trees removed asap, but I also don't want to risk my other oaks, as the ones I am leaving are the best ones.

[beenthere]

In WI, the risk is considered low after July 15.

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/ForestHealth/OakWiltGuide.html

[Corley5]

There was talk about it on a field trip I was on as part of the SFI logger cert last spring.  The forester said that the only way to stop the spread was to stump the area in a 100' radius of the infected tree and then look for signs of it in trees beyond that.  The root connections need to be broken.  He took us to a large tract of land between Cadillac and Lake City that was infected.  The owner opted to let his trees die and fall down due to negative dealings with the timber industry.  Adjacent land owners and the DNR stumped a boundary around the infected property.  White oak aren't as susceptible as reds and many of them can/will survive an infection.  It's a death sentence for reds.

[Jeff]

I don't have any infections or afflicted trees, I just want to clear some trees out in preparation for a future building/pigroast pavilion, The trees will mostly have to be professionally removed, but the stumps left high to dig out at a later date. I have my estimate to have them removed, but need to come up with a reasonably safe date to schedule the removal. I plan on painting the stumps immediately after the respective trees are removed. My concern is that there have been oak wilt outbreaks fairly close to us.

[LeeB]

I think you would be safe at any time that the weather is cool and the humidity low.

[Autocar]

I don't know alot about oak wilt but here where Iam at it can kill every white oak in a couple acres area. I'll cut two or three one year only to return and cut ones in the same area. Even this summer I can look at the tops and figure I'll be back next year again. Pulling bark off it will look like a spider web of black web. I always called it shoe string. Over the years Ive been told that skidders will bring it in on the wheels if they have any dirt on them.

[Texas Ranger]

http://www.arborilogical.com/how-tos/oak-wilt-fact-and-fears-symptoms-diagnosis-management-prevention-and-treatment/

This article says, on live oak, root grafting is the primary cause, in some parts of Texas a trencher is used to cut the roots around and at a distance from infected oaks. Jeff, I would say, if you have none now, you can cut anytime.

[thecfarm]

That oak wilt sounds some nasty. I hope it's not around here.

[Ron Scott]

Jeff, you should be good to go anytime now. We have extended our oak cutting waiting period until Sept. 15 to be on the safest side.

[chet]

Jeff, I sent you a PM with some info.

[JoshEvans]

Vascular wilt disease not only can spread by air but also spreads in the soil. The wilt pathogen can persist in resistant structures called Sclerotia found in the soil. The Fungi spreads rapidly from tree to tree through grafted roots. So the sooner you remove the trees the better.  Best thing I can tell you is when you remove the bad tree don't leave and parts of it behind and don't use as mulch.

[chain]

Somewhere I have a good management paper on Oak wilt and if I can find it will get back to this thread. Josh mentioned the soil and that is our concern if first, not to harvest during sap rise. But up there where you are Jeff, I think I would wait on frozen ground so as the harvesting will not damage the soils & roots causing damage and further infection. And, at least, safeguard against acquiring the infections. Not easy to manage here in Mizzou as soils in Southeast Ozarks rarely freeze for long periods.

One thing further, as I was trained and schooled to manage oak trees correctly, well, this oak wilt changed the game, as I have mentioned elsewhere the red oaks may become as the chestnut. We have maples, hickory, and Sweet gum replacing the beautiful stands of RO now. Not real sure about the WO escaping. Good luck!

[Jeff]

As I said, I have no infections, only a sickly decayed tree from other causes that poses a danger to a structure. I just don't want to risk an infection as I do know there is oak wilt well within a mile of us. I have decided to wait until the ground is froze.

[Jemclimber]

Good call. If I was closer I'd remove them as a thank you for having a great forum.  Good luck with getting them down.

[LeeB]

Older, stressed tree's are high targets. Beatles like weak trees.

[Jeff]

Sometimes is doesn't matter how much due diligence one might take.   Yesterday, the neighbor clear to the end of my property, had two very large, healthy red oaks taken down. They chipped everything, but the stumps are standing there wide open. These trees are a mere ten or 15 feet from the first red oaks on my property, and my property is predominantly red oak.  This is the first red oaks that have been cut down on my side of the road that have potential to be root grafted to my trees. I do believe there to be oak wilt killed trees in this neighborhood within 300 yards or so of here.   

Either the tree service feels that any danger for this year is subsided, or they don't care or even uneducated. If my trees start dieing, I'll know who is responsible.