No pruning till June 30

By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

Oak wilt — an infectious disease that kills trees — has been confirmed in Steiner Ranch and the homeowners association is reminding residents how to help prevent the destructive tree fungus.

Steiner Ranch has an exceptionally low occurrence of oak wilt centers, said Clay Bales, forester from the Texas A&M Forest Service,

Oak wilt was confirmed in the Plateau neighborhood in Steiner in the summer of 2016 after Bales looked at about 10 home lots and found that oak wilt was affecting some 30 trees. It was also confirmed along Selma Hughes Park Road off of Quinlan Park Road.

Last fall, Bales reported that although he has not been monitoring the oak wilt center closely he did share that the oak wilt was staying fairly contained.

“I can report that the Oak Wilt center at Standfield Court which was discussed (in 2016) has not crossed John Simpson yet.  This continues to be good news.  The old trench dug for the water line may be containing the disease at the street for now,” Bales said.

Overall, it is up to residents to be good neighbors in discussing the movement of oak wilt from one yard to the next. The disease mainly spreads through the roots from one live oak to another live oak and can move about 75 feet per year, but it can move almost no distance for a couple of years and then speed up again, Bales said.  

The greatest risk of infection is between the months of February and June.

Preventative tips:

• Do not prune or trim oaks between Feb. 1 and June 30,
• Paint fresh oak wounds immediately after pruning with wound dressing or latex paint,
• Sterilize and clean pruning tools with Lysol or bleach solution between sites and trees,
• Immediately chip or burn debris from diseased red oaks.

Those uncertain about proper trimming should consult a Texas oak wilt certified arborist, oak wilt specialist such as Texas Forest Service or Texas AgriLife Extension Service, or visit texasoakwilt.org.