Keeping Oak with Oak Wilt

[Arbortec01]

I will be taking down 4 large red oak trees this weekend, all died of oak wilt. They died recently so I am anticipating the wood will still be pretty good, and I dont want to waste it. But, I have mature oak trees within about 200 yards of my wood pile. I don't want to bring Oak wilt home to the mature oak trees around/near my pile. But I know the disease wont likely be transmitted during the winter so I thought if I got this wood cut and split this winter I should be ok. Is it a bad idea to bring the wood home? Do I risk transmitting the oak wilt to my live oak trees? Looking for some expert advice.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Do I risk transmitting the oak wilt to my live oak trees? Looking for some expert advice.

There is a good chance there will be fungal sspores on the logs. There is a small chance that insects can carry it to your trees. Debarking would be good. If the wood pile can be in fill sunlight it will help.

From OSU website
If the wood cannot be disposed of as described above, it can be cut and split for firewood. Because this process does not involve debarking, firewood can still potentially harbor fungal mats and thus attract Nitidulids during the summer in which the trees died. The wood must be arranged in stacks and covered with 4 mil plastic tarp through the winter (if the wood is used then) or the end of the next season (Oct. 1 of the year following the death of the trees). By producing a greenhouse effect, tarping will kill the temperature-sensitive pathogen and prevent the beetles from accessing potential fungal mats. Tarping should be done with transparent plastic to produce the desired greenhouse effect. However, black plastic will also work, by concentrating the sun's heat. In both cases, the best results are achieved by placing the tarped pile in an un-shaded, possibly sunny area. When covering the pile, the tarp should be sealed to the ground to prevent beetles from accessing the pile. For this reason, all punctures in the tarp should be mended with duct tape. At the end of the second season the wood can be safely uncovered and disposed of as preferred, since it no longer constitutes a threat.

Similar from WIDNR
Firewood

Two methods of wood treatment are effective in preventing overland spread via firewood.

1. Debarking (removing the bark form the wood) the wood will prevent the fungus mats from forming. Debarking must be conducted before fungal mats form, thus it should occur in the late summer, fall or winter following tree death.
2. Cutting, splitting, stacking and covering the wood with a 4mm or thicker plastic will also prevent overland spread. All sharp edges or stubs should be cut to eliminates the possibility of puncturing the plastic. The entire pile must be sealed all around. Seal the bottom by covering it with dirt and logs or other heavy objects. If the wood is not burned over the winter following tree death, leave the tarp on through the next growing season (October 1) or until the bark is loose.

 

[Sunrise Guy]

As a Certified Oak Wilt Specialist, I can tell you that I would never, ever, bring home logs from a red oak that had died from wilt. I have 300+ yr. old Live Oaks on my home site, and there's no way I would want to risk their exposure to wilt. Research is always going on, new things being discovered every year. Why risk getting included in some study showing how your trees got oak wilt from some trees you removed and brought home? JPS gave you good info, to be sure, but why risk it? Our weather patterns are so strange these days that I'm sure nobody can predict with 100% accuracy when nitidulid beetles will be active in your area. All it takes is one fungal mat on a piece of the dead red, one nitty, and one small branch tearing off one of your Live Oaks to bring about a possible innoculation. When I do oak wilt take-downs, I dump the wood before I even get close to my home. Then, everything gets sprayed down with a 10% bleach solution. Even then, I am always a bit nervous when I pull in, back home. Why risk bringing back the wood? There will always be safer stuff, a little further down the road.

 

[Arbortec01]

What about white oak with oak wilt? I've heard that white oak doesn't develop the fungal mats underneath the bark? Is white oak 'safer' to bring home, or should it go too.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Another option is telling the client you will pick up the wood next fall, if no one else has taken it.

One can prevaricate as to movement restrictions of fresh bark on trees.

 

[Sunrise Guy]

What about white oak with oak wilt? I've heard that white oak doesn't develop the fungal mats underneath the bark? Is white oak 'safer' to bring home, or should it go too.

Yep, at this point in time, the white oak family and Live Oaks do not form fungal mats. However, anything is possible in the world of Nature, so, again, why risk it? Things change, organisms mutate and evolve. If something is diseased, and there is even a .001% chance that your valued trees may contract that disease, why bring it home with you? If oak wilt trees are the only ones you are taking down, you might want to rethink your business coverage area. I'm positive that there are other take-downs out there that don't involve Ceratocystis fagacearum. I'm in an oak wilt battle zone, one of the first cities where Dr. David Appel, the acknowledged world authority on oak wilt, did his early work, and most of my take-downs don't involve oak wilt. When they do, I spray my saws, autoclave my chains, spray my trailers, and then hope I don't spread the disease to my oaks when I get home. So--dump your chips, clean your saws, haul off your logs, clean your trucks and trailers and then keep your fingers crossed.