COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M Forest Service is offering cost shares for Texas landowners to suppress the spread of oak wilt through the Texas Oak Wilt Suppression Program.
Eligible oak wilt suppression practices through this program include trenching or removal of infected red oak trees. All treatments must be installed according to Texas Oak Wilt Suppression Program guidelines and approved by Texas A&M Forest Service personnel. An application for cost-share funding must be approved before any cost-shareable treatment can begin.
Funding for trenching is limited to 50% of approved costs up to $2,000 per cooperator year. Multiple cooperator project costs are limited to 50% of approved costs up to $6,000 per project year.
Funding for tree pushing within trenched areas is limited to 50% of approved costs up to $2,000 per cooperator per year.
Funding for removal of certain diseased red oaks is limited to 50% of approved costs with a maximum of $2,000 per cooperator year.
Oak wilt is one of the most destructive tree diseases in the United States and is killing oak trees in Central and West Texas at epidemic proportions. Oak wilt has been confirmed in 76 Texas counties. While destructive to the ecosystem, the effects of oak wilt can also reduce property value by 15 to 20 percent.
“Oak wilt fungus, Bretziella fagacearum, is responsible for the disease and spreads rapidly through the interconnected roots of live oaks” said Demian Gomez, Texas A&M Forest Service Regional Forest Health Coordinator. “All oak trees are susceptible to oak wilt, and red oaks are the most susceptible and can die within as little as one month of being infected.”
Oak wilt is spread primarily in two ways—above ground by sap-feeding beetles or below ground through interconnected root systems between trees.
Above ground, infected trees that died the year before may produce spore mats under the bark, creating a fruity smell which attracts sap-feeding beetles. As the beetles carry fungus spores on them, they easily infect other oak trees through any fresh wound on the tree.
Below ground, oak wilt can travel an average 75 feet per year through the interconnected root systems of oak trees, primarily in live oaks, and is responsible for the majority of spread and deaths in Central Texas.
Trenching is a common method to prevent the spread of oak wilt underground by creating trenches at least four feet deep using trenching machines, rock saws or ripper bars. Trenches should be placed a minimum of 100 feet beyond symptomatic trees.
Landowners unaffected by oak wilt should continue to take precautions to minimize the susceptibility of their oak trees to the disease.
“One of the easiest ways for oak wilt to spread is by fresh wounds in oak trees, so it is especially important to avoid pruning or creating new wounds on oak trees from February to June,” said Gomez.
Oak wilt is often recognized in live oaks by yellow and brown veins showing in leaves of infected trees, known as veinal necrosis. The signs of oak wilt can be seen on a majority of leaves when a tree is fully infected. Landowners should contact a certified arborist if they are unsure if their tree is infected.
Landowners with oak wilt-infected trees can explore cost-share resources here: https://texasoakwilt.org/getting-help/oak-wilt-cost-share
