State Funds Are Available to Help Central Texans Fight Oak Wilt

We Texans love our oak trees, but something is killing them. Now, we can do something about it!

Oak Wilt is Killing Central Texas Oak Trees

For years now, a fungal disease has been wiping out central Texas oak trees. There is nothing more depressing than driving through the country only to see one dead oak after the other. The culprit is Oak wilt, and it has become one of the biggest killers of oak trees in the United States.

Trees Affected by Oak Wilt

According to texasoakwilt.org, there are three oak families that are affected by oak wilt: Red Oaks, White Oaks and Live Oaks.

Red Oaks- Texas Red Oak, Shumard Oak, Blackjack Oak and Water Oak are the most at risk of oak wilt and they play a role in the establishment of oak wilt infections.

White Oaks- Post Oak, Bur Oak, Mexican White Oak, White Shin Oak, Durand Oak, Lacy Oak and Chinquapin can be infected by the fungus but do show some tolerance to it. The problem with this family of oaks is that they grow together and have interconnected root systems which can help the fungus affect nearby trees.

Live Oaks- Live Oak and Texas Live Oaks do not contract the disease easily, but once infected, it can spread through their vast root systems.

How Oak Wilt Spreads

Oak Wilt spreads in two ways:

1.Above ground-Sap feeding beetles that carry the fungal spores to new trees

2. Below ground- the fungus travels from tree to tree via root systems

If you’ve seen a group of dead Live Oak trees, you are more than likely looking at oak wilt. The fungus travels through the interconnected root system and in the process, kills the entire group of trees. According to texasoakwilt.org, “Infection centers among live oaks in Texas expand at an average rate of 75 ft per year, varying from no spread to 150 ft in any one direction.” Click HERE to see examples of trees infected with oak wilt.

How Do You Stop Oak Wilt

In Texas, there are four commonly used methods for dealing with diseased trees. To successfully combat the problem, all four approaches should be used.

1. Prevent the spread “above ground” by getting rid of diseased Red Oaks, use proper care when dealing with Red Oak firewood, prune trees at the proper time and paint the exposed cuts on limbs after pruning.

2. Break up tree root masses via trenching to prevent the underground spread of the fungus.

3. Inject the fungicide propiconazole into individual trees to help reduce crown loss and extend the life of the tree.

4. Add various tree species to your landscape to lessen the spread of oak wilt to your Oak trees. New Oak trees cannot be replanted in the same location of previous oak trees.

Texans Can Receive Financial Help to Fight the Spread of Oak Wilt

Texans who need help fighting oak wilt on their land can now take part in a cost share program from the Texas A&M Forest Service.Oak Wilt Cost-Share Assistance helps landowners by splitting the cost of trenching and tree removal. According to texasoakwilt.org, cost-shares for trenching are capped at 50% of approved costs up to $5,000 per cooperator per year and multiple cooperator project costs are capped at 50% of approved costs up to $7,500 per project per year. Cost-shares for removal of certain diseased red oaks are capped at 50% of approved costs with a maximum of $2,000 per cooperator per year. An application for cost-shares must be approved before any cost-shareable treatment can begin.

Help is On the Way

Texas A&M Forest Service has seven regional offices throughout Central Texas to assist landowners concerned about oak wilt on their property. For more information, use the Find My Forester feature to identify and contact the TAMFS representative serving your county.To qualify for funding, a professional must verify the disease is present.