Oak wilt continues to be an issue throughout Austin, central Texas and much of the central part of the U.S. This often fatal disease is spread by a fungal organism known as Bretziella fagacearum (previously Ceratocystis f., but scientists often change organism names just to mess with us arborists!) Other than the name change, there’s little new about this disease, other than some news about DNA testing, but the likelihood of fast, accurate field test kits being available anytime soon is small. For more details on oak wilt, see my previous posts and my Oak Wilt Page.
At this time of year, whether you should or shouldn’t prune your oaks is quite forward in the minds of many neighborhood activists. You may have seen signs saying not to prune at this time of year. For years it has been recommended by various government agencies that one should avoid pruning oaks in the “spring”. The definition of spring has changed quite a bit over the years.
My advice to homeowners is Continue reading