Thank you to everyone who came out for our free seminar on Oak Wilt!
We held a free seminar that discussed new updates on Oak Wilt on November 14, 2019, at The Gardens at the Ridge, in Kerrville, TX.
It featured talks from:
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Board Certified Master Arborist, Kevin Belter
Stay tuned for more presentations or, if you would like to host an Oak Wilt Presentation in your area, please contact us.
What Is Oak Wilt?
First, let’s define what it is not. Oak Wilt is NOT Acute Oak Decline. That is thought to be a bacterial disease mostly if not exclusively affecting oaks in England. It is not generic (oak) decline either, which is just a term used to describe why oaks or any tree for that matter is decline due to abiotic and or biotic stressors causing the mortality spiral pattern for large number of trees in a given area of any species. It is not Sudden Oak Death either. That is a water mold disease called phytophthora ramorum found predominately, if not exclusively in California and Oregon.
Oak wilt is a vascular wilt disease caused by a fungus that as it parasitically feeds on the sugars/starches created by the tree, it colonizes and clogs the water-conducting (xylem) vessels of trees in the Beech family (predominately oak species but also chestnuts and several others!).
The severity and rate of mortality is also due in large part to the self-preservation response of the tree – in which the tree shuts down and kills most of its colonized tissue in order to compartmentalize or trap the fungus and limit its full movement within the tree. Previously, the disease taxonomy was called ceratocystis fagacearum (“shut down/closing off/i.e. death of beech”) but has now been re-named bretziella fagacearum, in commemoration of the first researcher T. W. Bretz who pioneered the very first research and classification of this disease in the 1950’s in Minnesota.
Below we see an inaccuracy with the Texas Forest Service wherein they state that this wilt disease only affects oaks – but in actuality it affects the entire beech family. What would be true is that in Texas it almost exclusively affects oaks as few other members such as Chestnut tree species comprise only a very small population of the trees in this state.
Oak wilt is the worst tree pathogen in Texas.
It is in the top 5 tree pathogens in the USA. The national oak wilt map is eye-opening to the Texan as it clearly shows that our severe problem is actually only a small percentage of the total expanse of this disease. It is sobering to see how seriously our entire national tree cover is being affected by Oak Wilt.
Do You Have Oak Wilt?
We employ the very best products, equipment, and proprietary techniques developed over a decade injecting trees to achieve the highest success rates in the state at a significantly lower end cost than any other company.
Further, we are uniquely outfitted to treat trees on large, high-value raw hill country acreage. We would be happy to go over these specifics on site during the consultation.
Tree Care Services from Credentialed Experts
We believe in starting a new tradition of professional tree care services where a credentialed ISA Certified Arborist or Board Certified Master Arborist provides a thorough evaluation prior to formulating a scope of work.
So often, money is invested in tree services that do not utilize the best scientific advancements in the industry.
We believe that any investment you make in your trees should come from a solid knowledge base, and therefore, all of our services flow from an initial paid consultation.