Oak wilt is a frightening phrase for any Central Texas homeowner. Oak wilt can affect three types of oaks – red oak, white oak, and live oak as pictured on the right.
Oak wilt is a fungus that invades and clogs the tree’s water conducting system. Because live oaks graft root very readily, all of the live oaks within a given area will share a common root system, allowing for spread from tree to tree. The fungus can spread through this system at an average rate of 75 feet per year.
Treatments can include injections or trenching – creating a physical cut in a 100 yard radius around the tree to attempt to keep the fungus from spreading to other trees. Tracked cases are known as “centers.”
There are three known “centers” in Milwood – Bedrock Trail, Bouvet Court, and Sidreal/Terranova. Recent reports from some neighbors in these areas confirm that this is still an active issue. The city arborist is going to provide us with GIS maps showing known centers in our neighborhood. We will contact homes in the areas to make sure they are aware, and we'll plan to have the city arborist at a future meeting.
Decisions on cutting down trees with oak wilt should be done in consultation with the city arborist. Ironically, some believe that cutting down a tree may accelerate the spread of oak wilt in some cases, and some specialists recommend not cutting down trees until they have been dead for up to a year to ensure the fungus died with the trees. I've found the arborist to be responsive and available to come out to your home.
More general information can be found at texasoakwilt.org and at the city arborist home page.
