# Texas Live Oak wilt



## rxpx40 (Feb 11, 2015)

I have a unique question that I'm hoping a knowledgeable arborist here in Texas can answer. It's no surprise Oak Wilt is taking out vast spreads of Live Oaks here in Central Texas. I've heard that it not only spreads through the root system, but it can also be spread by contaminated tools. Is this true? If so, what is an approved method of cleaning tools to eliminate the risk of spreading the disease? I love the smell of bleach, but cleaning a chainsaw in it? I plan on using my saw on a friend's pile of Live Oak. He doesn't think they died of Oak Wilt, but I don't want to chance it. I have several very nice specimens on my property and the last thing I want to do is bring that to my yard..


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## Raintree (Feb 11, 2015)

If you are unwilling to thoroughly decontaminate your tools, the simple solution is don't use your wood pile saw on live trees you want to save.


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## ATH (Feb 11, 2015)

Take off the chain and soak it in bleach and scrub it with a wire brush. Then pour some bar and chain oil on it in a small plastic container so it doesn't rust. (I often soak mine in Simple Green and wire brush when I swap them out just to clean some of the grime off...not even for purpose of decontamination).

Do the same with your bar. When you have the bar off, make sure you reach in the groove with a piece of metal thin and strong enough to clean the gunk out of the bar groove (again, that part is standard maintenance).

Blow the saw dust out of the inside of the sprocket cover.

There won't be much of anything left to worry about spreading fungus if you do that. The time that is difficult is if you are cutting dead trees and live trees all on the same job. This sounds like you are going to somebody else's property to cut the trees, and will be cutting at your place a different day?

Finally, I'd be more worried about brining infected wood to your property than I would spreading it with a contaminated saw. How long has his wood been dead? Has it been tarped? If you can leave it at his place under a black plastic tarp through the summer, that will kill any threat.


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## rxpx40 (Feb 11, 2015)

Thanks ATH, That's what I was looking for. I will definitely clean my saw as you outlined. I am a bit AR when it comes to cleaning my equipment. The wood at my friend's is just laying about. He had a few butchers come over and did half the job of removing the trees, then left when they couldn't talk him into letting them do some other work on the property. I will cut at his place and stack it all up, and tarp it myself. He will be OK with me leaving it at his place until I can haul it out of there later this fall. 
I will have the cleanest smelling chainsaw in the state!
Thanks again.
Chris


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## rxpx40 (Feb 12, 2015)

Raintree said:


> If you are unwilling to thoroughly decontaminate your tools, the simple solution is don't use your wood pile saw on live trees you want to save.


Great tip, Raintree. Obviously you're not having any fun this winter.


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