G3590

Lake States wilt management— Woodlands what are the options?

Jane Cummings Carlson Trees at risk Biology and spread A. Jeff Martin housands of in woodland of oak wilt and urban settings die from oak Mats of , known as “pressure wilt every year. Widespread in pads,” develop under the of trees , and that have died from oak wilt. Mats form , the disease is caused most often in spring, approximately 9- by the fungus 10 months after a tree dies from oak fagacearum. Figure 1 shows the extent of wilt. These mats force the bark to crack Toak wilt in Michigan, Minnesota and open. The fungus produces a sweet Wisconsin. odor that attracts sap-feeding beetles Trees from the white and red oak such as Nitidulids. The beetles pick up groups, both found commonly in the fungal spores by crawling on the mats. Lake States, are susceptible to oak wilt. Then they fly to healthy oaks to feed on Because trees in the red oak group fall sap flowing from fresh wounds, thus prey to the disease most often, this pub- infecting new trees. lication focuses on the red oak group.

In April, May and June, fungal mats (“pres- sure pads”) grow under the bark of trees that wilted the previous summer. Mats are some- times present in late summer or fall.

Figure 1. This map shows the distribution of oak wilt in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin in 2000. Map produced by the USDA Forest Service, Northeastern AreaÐForest Health Monitoring GIS Group.

Fungal mats force the bark to crack open. The mats’ odor attracts sap-feeding beetles which spread the disease to healthy trees.

The fungus invades the tree’s water-carrying system, causing to wilt and fall. Wilting occurs most often in July and August, and occasionally in spring or fall. LAKE STATES WOODLANDS ______

As fungus invades a tree’s water con- 1. Do not harvest, prune or other- under the bark is a light color ducting system, the leaves turn dull wise wound oak trees from bud (white to green), the sample is fresh. If green, bronze or tan, and wilt from the swell up to two or three weeks the wood is brown or dark, it is too old top of the tree downward. Leaves fall past full development (gen- to be useful. Wrap the samples in wax rapidly after wilting. Infected trees are erally April 15 to July 1). During paper and keep them cool until you bare in 4-6 weeks. this time, fungal mats are most mail them. Underground spread of oak wilt from abundant and oak trees most vulner- In Wisconsin, mail your samples to: infected to healthy trees occurs through able to oak wilt. is less Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic grafts. Most root grafts form common later in the summer but can Dept. of between oaks of the same species; red occur after July 1. Take a very cau- University of Wisconsin-Madison oak graft more commonly than do tious approach—limit any cutting 1630 Linden Drive white oak roots, and grafts between red activities from April 1 to October 1. Madison, WI 53706 and white oaks are very rare. If wounding does occur, apply a tree (608) 262-2863 wound paint immediately. These www.plantpath.wisc.edu/PDDC products normally inhibit proper Prevention, sampling In Minnesota, send them to: and management wound closure so limit your use of tree paint to these situations. Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture Plant Protection Laboratory Prevention 2. Do not move infected trees 90 West Plato You can take two precautions to lessen with the bark still attached (as St. Paul, MN 55108 the chances of oak wilt invading your firewood or logs) into your (651) 296-4749 woodlands. woodlands. Pressure pads may www.mda.state.mn.us form on the transported wood, attracting insects that spread In Michigan, mail to: oak wilt. State Pathologist Michigan Dept. of Agriculture Sampling Laboratory Division You may need a laboratory 1615 Harrison Rd. analysis to confirm the pres- East Lansing, MI 48823 ence of oak wilt. To obtain an (517) 337-5091 analysis, collect three twigs A fee may be charged for testing. Call (about 1⁄2 in. diameter and 4 the appropriate lab to determine in. long) from three different charges. branches with wilting leaves. You must send samples which still have live tissue. Scratch the sample branch with your fingernail. If the

Don’t confuse oak wilt with the two-lined borer. Galleries, or feeding tunnels of the two-lined chestnut borer are visible in this photo. The insect causes symptoms resembling that of oak wilt with one notable difference—trees infested with the chestnut borer usually keep their dead leaves, while This aerial view shows the characteristic pocket of dead trees, trees with oak wilt lose them. a hallmark of oak wilt.

2 ______OAK WILT MANAGEMENT—WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS?

If sampling results dead trees that characterizes oak wilt. In are negative mixed stands, where oaks are scattered If your samples test negative for oak among other species, root grafts may wilt, check for the presence of the two- occur less often than in pure oak stands; lined chestnut borer which harms trees thus, spread may be slower or less con- by tunneling between the bark and spicuous. New pockets can appear in wood. This insect causes leaves to wilt your woodlands from overland spread and turn brown in in mid-summer by Nitidulid beetles feeding on fresh when larvae feed between the bark and wounds. wood of infested trees. Dead leaves gen- If you allow the disease to progress, you erally remain on the tree. A few should consider the impact on the branches or the whole crown may be health of neighboring trees. Even if root- affected. (Oak wilt always affects the graft spread to your neighbor’s trees is entire crown in red oaks.) unlikely, overland spread to a neigh- If sampling results bor’s yard or woodlot is a real possibil- are positive ity. Proper removal and utilization of infected trees reduces the hazard of There are two management strategies overland spread. You can find guide- from which you can choose. lines for removing and using dead and Passive management. If you allow infected trees in the section on active Oak wilt trenching. the disease to progress, it will spread to management. healthy oaks through the roots of dis- As oaks die, the open spaces and dead eased trees. In the Lake States, oak trees trees can provide valuable feeding and may grow in pure or relatively homoge- nesting sites for wildlife. When over- neous stands. You may also find them story trees die, the site often becomes mixed with species such as white pine, brushy for about ten years. Warblers, sugar maple, basswood and white birch grosbeaks, cuckoos, cardinals, grouse, (common in the northern hardwood rabbits, deer and shrews will be forest type), or hickory, elm, ash, aspen, attracted to the brushy area. Brown and black cherry (species common in creepers may nest under the sloughing the oak-hickory forest type). bark on dead trees. Dead trees will In pure oak stands, the disease moves furnish insects for birds, and larger outward from the original infected trees specimens may provide perches for through root grafts, killing more trees raptors. each year. This creates the pocket of

The vibratory plow is a tracked or rubber- tired vehicle with a vibrating head attached at the rear. Crown wilt indicates the presence of oak wilt. A knife-like plow blade with a slight hook at the bottom is attached to the vibrating head. The blade is pulled hori- zontally through the soil, slicing the root connections.

3 LAKE STATES WOODLANDS ______

Active management. Since oak wilt A forest pest specialist, forester or Table 1. Minimum inter-tree distances spreads both underground and above trained in oak wilt management based on combined tree diameters and soil ground, you must combat it with a two- should work with you to plan the type. pronged approach. To contain the barrier location. Choose a location for Combined disease: the barrier in early August, after most of DBH — Inter-tree distance — 1. install a root graft barrier; and the year’s infected trees have wilted. (inches) loamy sand sandy Barrier installation should take place 2. remove and properly use trees 2 3.1 3.9 before the soil freezes. inside the barrier. 4 6.2 7.8 To determine where to place the barrier, 6 9.3 11.6 Installing a root graft barrier. Root measure the diameters at 41⁄2 feet above 8 12.4 15.5 graft barriers break the root connections the ground (or diameter at breast 10 15.4 19.4 between infected and healthy trees. A height, DBH) of an infected tree and a 12 18.5 23.3 barrier should be at least four, and 14 21.6 27.2 nearby apparently healthy tree; add preferably five feet deep. Trenchers and 16 24.7 31.0 these figures to calculate the combined vibratory plows are the tools most com- 18 27.8 34.9 diameter. A sprout clump is represented monly used for this job. 20 30.9 38.8 as the sum of the diameters of all its 22 34.0 42.7 Locating the root graft barrier. stems. Measure the distance between 24 37.1 46.6 Properly locating the root graft barrier is the same two trees. Consult table 1 to 26 40.2 50.4 critical to stopping the underground determine the minimum inter-tree dis- 28 43.2 54.3 spread of oak wilt. Incorrectly placing tance listed for the combined diameters. 30 46.3 58.2 the barrier may cancel out your efforts If the two trees are closer than the dis- 32 49.4 62.1 to halt the disease. tance listed in the table, the barrier 34 52.5 66.0 should be placed outside the apparently 36 55.6 69.8 38 58.7 73.7 healthy tree. If the two trees are farther 40 61.8 7.6 than the distance listed in the table, the 42 64.9 81.5 barrier should be placed inside the 44 68.0 85.4 apparently healthy tree. 46 71.1 89.3

48 74.1 93.1

➡ loamy ➡ 10 clump 18 sand barrier 6

44' Figure 2. Based on table 1, tree A must be at 26' least 34 feet away from the infected tree on loamy sand, and 42.7 feet away on sandy soil, to assume that it has not been infected through root graft. Table 1 forecasts with 95% accuracy.

12 Since tree A is farther than the recommended ➡ ➡ sandy soil barrier guidelines for loamy sand, a barrier can be infected placed between the healthy and diseased tree. tree 18' 60' On sandy soil, tree A is less than the recom- 38' mended safe distance, so you can conclude

6 16 with 95% certainty that the tree has been tree A ➡ 10 infected and that a barrier must be placed outside it.

loamy sand sandy soil

Model developed by Johann Bruhn from data colleted in Menominee County, MI. Bruhn, J.N., and Heyd, R.L., 1992, Biology and Control of Oak Wilt in Michigan Red Oak Stands, Northern Journal of Applied Forestry 9(2): 47-51.

4 ______OAK WILT MANAGEMENT—WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS?

Research shows that three factors signif- Removing and using icantly determine the likelihood of two infected trees WHITE OAKS trees : You must install root barriers before trees in the pocket of Types: White oak, bur oak, 1) diameter; wilting trees are removed. Water swamp white oak 2) distance between the trees; and tension released when live wilting trees Oaks in the white oak group 3) soil and drainage characteristics. are felled permits fluids to move rapidly have greater resistance to oak In general, root grafts spread oak wilt to grafted healthy trees beyond the wilt. They often remain healthy farther in shallower than in deeper soils, intended barrier. Remove all dead after surrounding black and red and in sandier than in loamier soils. The trees with the bark attached and oaks succumb to the disease. exact underground location of the oak all apparently healthy trees from Symptoms: Wilted and wilt pathogen is unknown. inside the barrier (all trees over 3 in. bronzed leaves appear on scat- in diameter should be removed). Apply The method shown in figure 2 attempts tered branches; leaf fall is an herbicide registered for treating cut to include, inside the root graft barrier, usually light. More branches oak stumps to prevent sprouting and all apparently healthy oaks with a 5% or may die each year until the tree minimize the chance of roots regrafting greater chance of being infected. dies—or the tree may survive. across the barrier. If you do not use an Additional lines closer to diseased trees herbicide, sprouts may continue to keep white oak can be installed in an effort to save more the disease active in the pocket, posing a trees, but such attempts often fail. This risk to trees outside the barrier. Remove model was developed for sandy soils trees and treat stumps after placing the and it will likely predict longer root barrier and before the following April grafting distances than occur on more (when fungal mats may form). You do loamy or clayey sites. If this model is not need to remove trees with loose used on loamy or clayey sites, the prob- bur oak bark since they can no longer produce ability of disease containment and the fungal mats. number of healthy trees sacrificed will be increased. RED OAKS

Types: northern red oak, northern pin oak, black oak Oaks in the red oak group are most susceptible to oak wilt. Trees die rapidly after leaves wilt. Symptoms: Leaves wilt from the top of the tree downward. Leaf fall is usually heavy and occurs during and shortly after leaves wilt. Wilting takes place most often in July and August.

red oak

A trencher is a rubber-tired vehicle with a digging chain attached to black oak the back. The chain moves along a boom, digging a trench and breaking root grafts as it is pulled through the soil.

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Firewood. Dead trees with the bark Regenerating oak in the pocket. Herbicides as a tool attached should be debarked, chipped, Though information on the likelihood of to stop root graft or cut and split to hasten drying. Stack oak wilt transferring to regenerated transmission of oak wilt the cut pieces and place them in the sun; growth is sparse, it is clear that thor- Within the last few years, (1997–2001) tarp the stack with 4 mil plastic. Placing ough tree removal and stump treatment research and field trials have been con- the tarped pile in the sun will hasten minimize the risk. Planting oak ducted in Minnesota, Missouri and bark deterioration and loosen the bark seedlings or encouraging natural oak to test the effectiveness of various quicker. Seal the plastic around the base seeding in the pocket can be tried after herbicides in stopping the transmission to prevent insects from reaching the you remove the infected trees and treat of oak wilt by root grafts. Three differ- fungal mats. If the wood is not burned the stumps. You may need to apply her- ent combinations of herbicides were over the winter, leave the tarp on until bicides to sprouts for two to three years tested. Products tested included various the end of the following summer after cutting if sprouts continue to form formulations and combinations of (approximately one year after cutting). inside the barrier. Garlon 3A, Garlon 4, Arsenal AC, Stalker and Tordon RTU. Moving infected firewood without Chemical treatment. careful attention to tarping can con- have recently been developed and may Preliminary results show some products tribute to overland spread of oak wilt. be added to the management toolbox. were effective in killing the above- Wood from dead trees with loose bark, Currently available products contain the ground portions of the trees; some were and from apparently healthy trees with active ingredient propiconazol. This not. None of the products killed roots no wilting symptoms, does not pose a product may be effective in preventing completely in a timely manner. This lack danger and does not require tarping. oak wilt when injected into living oak of complete root death indicates herbi- cides may not be effective in stopping Other wood products. Wood from trees without disease symptoms. If you root graft transmission of oak wilt. infected trees may be sold to a sawmill are considering using chemical treat- or chipping facility—preferably one ment, contact an arborist specializing in Observation of these trials is ongoing. which is several miles away from the oak wilt management. The cost and Herbicides continue to be an important nearest red oak. Advise the purchaser intensity of this level of management is tool for killing or at least weakening that the infected trees with attached typically reserved for high-value urban trees and sprouts inside a trenched area. bark must be used over the coming oaks. However, at this printing, herbicides winter. should not be presented as a proven means of creating effective root graft barriers.

Authors: Jane Cummings Carlson is a forest pathologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and A. Jeff Martin is a retired professor of forestry with the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Wisconsin–Extension, Cooperative Extension. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in coopera- tion with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, University of Wisconsin–Extension, Cooperative Extension. University of Wisconsin–Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA requirements. If you need this information in an alternative format, contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs or call Extension Publishing at (608) 262-2655. © 2001 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Send inquiries about copyright permission to: Director, Cooperative Extension Publishing, 201 Hiram Smith Hall, 1545 Observatory Dr., Madison, WI 53706. You can obtain copies of this publication from your Wisconsin county Extension office or from Cooperative Extension Publications, 45 N. Charter Street, Madison, WI 53715, 608-262-3346. Outside Madison, call toll free: 1-877-WIS-PUBS (947-7827). Before publicizing, please check on this publication’s availability. To see more Cooperative Extension publications, visit our web site: www.uwex.edu/ces/pubs/

Lake States Woodlands: Oak Wilt Management—What are the Options? (G3590) R-12-01-5M-150