Treating oak trees for oak wilt.  Call David Winkler for more information about oak wilt.  254-435-2331. Photo by David Winkler.

Diseases occur on many of the root systems and woody tissues of Texas trees.

There is rarely one factor leading to the decline or death of a tree. Many factors can make trees more susceptible to diseases. These include: heat, drought, flooding, lightning, animal damage, construction damage, soil compaction, wildfire, among others. Often the best way to prevent tree diseases or help trees recover is to keep trees healthy. Urban foresters and certified arborists receive training to care for individual trees. Resource or district foresters and consulting foresters receive training on improving the health of a stand of trees or a forest.

Oak Wilt

This disease is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of oaks across 73 counties in Central and West Texas. All oaks are susceptible. An infection center starts when a sap feeding beetle visits a red oak that has died of the disease and feeds on the fungal spore mats that oak wilt creates. The beetle, now covered with spores, flies off, sometimes long distances, seeking a fresh wound on a tree for its next meal thus infecting a new tree. Once established in a tree, the disease can also spread to other trees by root connections or root grafts moving from one tree to the next. For detailed information on the spread and control of oak wilt, go to http://texasoakwilt.org.