Oak Wilt Disease

What is Oak Wilt Disease?

Oak Wilt Disease is a vascular wilt disease of oak trees caused by the fungus Ceratocystis Fagacearum. The fungus enters the tree and stops the flow of water and elements by plugging the vessels in the vascular system. All species of oaks are susceptible, with some species being somewhat tolerant. The disease is more severe in Red Oak species, such as the Northern Red Oak and Northern Pin Oak. Red Oaks will die rather quickly from Oak Wilt Disease, while White Oaks tend to contain the spread of Oak Wilt Disease to infected branches.

What does Oak Wilt look like?

One of the first symptoms of Oak Wilt Disease homeowners in Madison, WI may notice is the “flagging” of branches in your beloved Oak tree. These are branches with dried and dead leaves occurring in the upper canopy of trees in full sun. These symptoms may occur following storm damage in the hot Wisconsin summer because breaks in the tree bark make the tree vulnerable to Oak Wilt Disease. If you notice summer storm damage on an oak tree, calling an arborist at Capital City Tree Experts immediately is a great pro-active step to avoid Oak Wilt Disease.

How do I save a tree affected by Oak Wilt Disease? 

Oak Wilt Disease treatment and prevention is serious business, requiring the use of heavy equipment to break your tree’s connection to any other oaks within 50 feet. Fungicidal injections of propiconazole have shown some promise in uninfected high-risk areas, but this treatment will do little for trees with oak wilt fungus in their root systems.