The Michigan DNR says oak wilt disease is a serious problem for red oaks, including northern red oak, black oak and pin oak. The disease will often kill them within a few weeks.

Red oaks are especially susceptible to oak wilt disease from April 15 - July 15 in Michigan.

If an oak is wounded during this critical time, the DNR advises covering the wound immediately with either a tree-wound paint or a latex paint to help keep beetles away.

White oaks are more resistant and the disease progresses more slowly.

Roger Mech, forest health monitoring program manager for the Michigan DNR's Forest Resources Division says, "The normal time-tested advice is to prevent oak wilt by not pruning or otherwise 'injuring' oaks from April 15 to July 15."

Mech says pushing back the yearly date of April 15 because of our cold winter is not a good idea, "It doesn’t matter how cold it was this winter. It only takes a few 50-degree or warmer days for both the beetles and fungus to become active. We have already had warmer weather in many parts of the state.”

The spread of oak wilt occurs during this time of year as beetles move spores from fungal fruiting structures on the trees killed last year by oak wilt to wounds on healthy oaks. As warmer weather melts away snow and ice, the beetles that move oak wilt become active.

Wood moved from oak wilt-killed trees can cause serious problems. These trees are often cut into firewood and moved, sometimes many miles from their original locations. Any wounding of oaks in this new location can result in new oak wilt infections as beetles move spores from the diseased firewood to fresh wounds on otherwise healthy trees.

"With the transport of firewood and other tree-related activities, you have to assume the risk is present, whether you live in metro Detroit or in the Upper Peninsula,” Mech said.

To report a suspected oak wilt site, email DNR-FRD-Forest-Health@michigan.gov or call 517-284-5895.

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