Oak Wilt Prevention Pruning in Frisco, TX

Oak wilt prevention pruning in Frisco is ordinary oak pruning done with one disease in mind. Oak wilt is a fungal disease that the Texas A&M Forest Service calls one of the most destructive tree diseases in the United States; it has been confirmed in 76 Texas counties, and arborists quoted by The Dallas Morning News reported it had spread north from Dallas into Collin County by 2003, with known hot spots in nearby Plano and McKinney. Oaks are among the most planted shade trees in Frisco's neighborhoods, so how and when they are pruned matters for your trees and for the trees next door.

How oak wilt spreads

The disease moves two ways. Above ground, sap-feeding beetles pick up spores from fungal mats that form under the bark of red oaks that died of oak wilt the year before, and they carry those spores to fresh wounds on healthy oaks. Below ground, the fungus travels through connected root systems, mainly between live oaks, at an average of about 75 feet a year. Pruning cuts, storm breaks, string trimmer nicks and construction damage are all wounds the beetles can find, and they are most active in late winter and spring.

The rules we follow

The Texas A&M Forest Service gives two simple rules. First, avoid pruning or wounding oaks from February through June. Second, paint every oak wound right away, whatever the season, to put a barrier over the fresh wood. We schedule routine oak pruning from July through January, paint each cut as it is made, and clean saws between trees. When a storm breaks an oak limb in spring, the broken stub is cut back cleanly and painted promptly rather than left until summer.

Knowing which oaks are at risk

All oaks can get oak wilt, but not equally. Red oaks, which in Frisco yards usually means Shumard and Texas red oaks, are the most susceptible and can die within about a month; their leaves turning red or brown in summer is often the first sign. Live oaks have intermediate susceptibility and show yellow and brown veins in their leaves, called veinal necrosis. White oaks such as bur oak, chinquapin and post oak are the least susceptible but are not immune. If one of your oaks shows symptoms, we will tell you what we see; confirmation can come from the Forest Service, and fungicide injection for nearby healthy oaks is done by a licensed pesticide applicator.