# WARNING Before you cut...



## ENCORE (Sep 19, 2005)

Before you cut any trees, even trim them, please read this... http://forestry.msu.edu/extension/extdocs/facts21.pdf

This stuff has really started to take off in Michigan and in this area.


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## Paperboy 1 (Aug 7, 2008)

Hey Encore...Where did you find this memo?? My wife works at the extension here in Harrisville and she is on the Board with the soil conservation group. She never mentioned it to me. Hmm?:sad:

This wilt crap is NOT good! One day we might not have ANY trees with all these diseases. I wish they would make moving firewood LONG distances illegal. The people that come up from downstate just don't seem to get it.

Thanks for the info sir...


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## ezcaller (Feb 21, 2009)

Thanks for the heads up we will keep a look out in the Gladwin area.


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

Yikes, I was just commenting on how bad it would be if we ever got something like an ash borer disease that affected Oaks.


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## JimP (Feb 8, 2002)

Isn't the date on that report August 1992, is it still relevant?
Is their an updated version?


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## ENCORE (Sep 19, 2005)

My neighbor is the "search" expert and the one that found the MSU site. If I had something other than this xoxo xoxlxx dial up:rant:, I'd probably learn to search better myself.

The neighbor that did the search, was also the one that picked up the flyer in Traverse City. He'll be here tomorrow or Saturday and I'll have more of an idea who put that one out. Its my understanding that Alpena County Tree and Forest Service may be putting something out on one of the local radio stations. If I thought that We Barely Know Broadcasting would air it on tv, that would be an excellent way to get the message out. *I'm NOT an expert on trees* but, if they interviewed ACT&FS, it would be explained by a professional in the business.

The wife and I made the trip down Bennett Rd. this afternoon and looked at the place that has the damage. Its very evident that two very healthy trees are now dead. There are others that it appears that the leaves are starting to die. I noticed that his whole yard is flagged by MISS DIG for trenching. The owner, a Chrysler employe from down below is trenching completely around his property to try to prevent it from reaching his neighbors.

Someone told me that over on US-23 in Ossineke, there's more oaks that have it. From what I was told, its right behind Connie's restraunt. Appears that there was a new septic and drain field put in and when it was done, an oak or more were damaged. From what I was told, it has been trenched but some oaks have died. For those that may be fimiliar with the area, there's another bad spot on the very west end of Hubert Rd., just before it gets to Wolf Creek Rd.

*Paperboy1*........... why Harrisville and the board hasn't known about the problem is anyone's guess. If any of the board members would like to know more about it, I would suggest that they call Alpena County Tree and Forest Service 989-727-2024. I'm the very last person to know very much about trees. I've had to rely on professionals for my information. I have no reason to doubt them, especially after seeing the damage.


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## diztortion (Sep 6, 2009)

I seen it on the news last year. I'm surprised they didn't do another story on it this year, especially with the warm and humid weather.


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## ENCORE (Sep 19, 2005)

diztortion said:


> I seen it on the news last year. I'm surprised they didn't do another story on it this year, especially with the warm and humid weather.


Thanks for posting that. I had the suspision that there may have been some that thought this wasn't real.


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## chuckinduck (May 28, 2003)

Our neighbor at hubbard lost about 60 oaks probably 10 years ago to Oak wilt. Started in one tree, and couldn't slow it down.


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## Banditto (Jun 9, 2000)

It's a very real problem at my cottage near Hale. My neighbor trimmed and apparently the fungus that causes oak wilt attacks fresh cut but only when the leaves haven't dropped (sorry can't read the attachment no pdf at work)

So I was about to trim a large limb and he came running up to stop me. We waited until it was snowing to trim it and haven't had a problem.


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## ENCORE (Sep 19, 2005)

I received a call back from Roger Mech, MDNRE forester today. I had quite the lengthly conversation with him and I (we) may get lucky with this. According to Roger, he's very confident that because they started AFTER July 15th, that there may not be any problem. He said that the major cause, besides the fungus, is the picnic beetle. Evidently, after a certain time, usually around the end of June or the first week of July, they stop flying. The cutting next to me didn't start until the third week of July.

Roger also told me that the DNRE only keeps track of it and where it is spreading. He said that because its labled as "evasive" it actually belongs to the USDA. Budgets are so bad, that no one even cares about getting the word out. Sad.........

He sent me a .pdf file that tell much more about it. Someone's got to tell me if its possible to attach a file to a post. Anybody? This file tells about the different kinds of oaks and how it affects each kind. Pictures show stages....

Can you attach a file to a post???


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## diztortion (Sep 6, 2009)

I drove up through Baldwin last weekend. Just Northwest of town on US-10, there was a ton of dead oaks. I don't know if this was because of oak wilt, or something else. It almost looks like November driving through the area.


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

I can't even imagine what some parts of the national forest up there would look like if the oaks where decimated.


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## Direwolfe (Sep 11, 2007)

I'm convinced there is an oak wilt here around my house in Raleigh NC. Same type of situation, one oak is injured and all the leaves wilt, next year nearby oaks have all their leave dry up in early summer and die. Inspect them and its obvious they've been attacked by a fungus. These are mature otherwise healthy oaks. Talked to the county extension service and they tell me "oak wilt? What oak wilt. They're probably just having a delayed reacton to the drought from 4 years ago".


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## ENCORE (Sep 19, 2005)

I have a .pdf file from Roger Mech, MDNRE forester, titled Oak Wilt In Michigan. It was written by Zachary Blankenheim and Gerard Adams, Dept. of Plant Pathology, Michigan State University and Johann Bruhn, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Missouri.

This article shows the different stages of oak wilt and how it affects all of the different types of oaks we have here in Michigan. I tried to search the MSU web site to find it, but I must be doing something wrong. I thought that I found a way to post the file, however this file is larger than it appears allowed. *Steve, *this is good information and I believe should be available to members. What other methods could be used to get this out?

_Oak wilt is a major disease of oaks (Quercus sp.) in Michigan. The fungus, Ceratocystis fagacearum causes the disease by invading the vascular system of the tree. The pathogenic (disease) fungus causes the leaves on the tree to wilt. Wilting is followed by rapid death of trees in the red oak family. In the white oak family, death is usually limited to one or more branches of a tree. Oak wilt in Michigan may infect red, black, scarlet and pin oaks in the red oak family as well as white, swamp, and bur oaks in the white oak family. The leaves of oaks are useful in identifying the family. Less common ornamentals such as the English and shingle oak also may become diseased. The pathogenic fungus may infect the trees when an insect carries the fungus to a recent wound. Alternatively the fungus may infect a healthy tree through the roots, if the roots are grafted onto roots of a nearby infected oak of the same species._

*Anyone who would like the file can PM me with their regular email address and I will be happy to forward it to you.*


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

The info above is correct with what I have been seeing, Reds die whites survive. It is widespread in Roscommon/Crawford countys. Once it starts you can watch the progression, In my neighborhood at first it moved in a narrow strip we were hopefull that would be it, Now the forward progression has stopped and the dead strip is widening. The dead area about doubles each year, large trees first, then the smaller ones.

Some that I have cut for forewood when you split it you will see what at first glance looks like white worms, Actualy it is the fungus plugging the capilaries in the tree. It has the texture of dried window caulk. The wood has a strong unpleasent smell like vomit.


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