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Is It Oak Wilt or
Drought?
by Marilyn Pease
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Ranch owners in Harper
became concerned
recently when they
noticed their neighbor
cutting down many of the
live oaks on the
property that borders
their land. Upon
questioning the
neighbor, he told them
he thought he had oak
wilt and needed to get
rid of the diseased
trees. It was at this
point that the they
decided to call the
Master Gardener Hotline
at the Extension Office
for advice. |
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Master Gardener Oak Wilt
Specialists Anne Brown
and Fay Drozd, along
with two fellow Master
Gardeners made the trip
to Harper to see the
live oaks in question. |
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Although it did appear
that many of the
neighbor’s trees had oak
wilt, the majority of
the callers’ trees did
not appear to have been
infected. The MG
Specialists felt that
the ongoing drought and
recent 100° temperatures
may account for the
distressed appearance of
some of the trees
examined. |
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The oak wilt fungus (Ceratocystis
fagacearum) has the
capability of advancing
150 feet per year and
has become a concern
among Hill Country
landowners. According to
the Texas Oak Wilt
Information Partnership
at www.texasoakwilt.org,
“Oak wilt is killing oak
trees in central Texas
in epidemic proportions
by invading and
disabling the
water-conducting system
in susceptible trees”. |
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Oak wilt has spread
through this entire tree
Close up of oak wilt
leaf with typical veinal
necrosis and another
with brown tip and halo
ridge |
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Especially affected are
the Red Oaks, Spanish
Oak, Texas Red Oak,
Shumard Oak and
Blackjack Oak. Foliar
symptoms may include
chlorotic leaf veins and
browning of leaf tips
with a halo line around
the brown area. The oaks
will typically die
within one to two years
following infection. |
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The
Texas Oak Wilt
Information
website offers
comprehensive
information and outlines
a four-step plan for
those landowners who
want to aggressively
treat their trees. |
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Photos by M Pease |
