Agenda - Council - 09/27/1994 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Disease ~Problems There ar~ several disease problems in the city. The most important ma}, be ~ak wilt. Oak species comprise over 47% of the forest in Ramsey. ~ver 6% of these trees are dead. This indicates a problem. 1979 dat~ shows that approximately 4% of the population was dead. Also, over 50% of the elms in the city are dead. oak %~ilt Since oaks are a significant component of the forested areas in the City of kersey, oak wilt should be a consideration, see Table VI. Oak wilt!is a disease caused by the fungus Ceratocystis fagacearu~. Once the!tree becomes infected, is rapidly declines as the disease spreads {hroughout %he tree's vascular system. The presence of the ~ungus s~imulates the tree to produce gums and resins in an effort to block~the spread of the disease. In red oaks, the tree's azuempt to blocki the spread of the disease fails, but not before the production of the g~ms and resins cuts off the tree's water supply, resultin~ in death. Once an infected red oak begins to wilt, completeideath can be expected in two to four weeks. Red oaks never re~over from the disease. Bur oak generally last one to two seasons ~ith the disease, while white oaks are more resistant to oak wilt~and can survive for several years before d}~ing. Oaks are iinfected with oak wilt in two different ways. Insects can start ne~ infections by car-~ying spores ~rom wilted trees to wounded ~ut other~ise healthy trees in the spring. Rinety percent of the t'~!~e the disease is spread through-the roots, from diseased trees to ihea!thy oaks sharing interconnected root syszems. Kunde Co., !nc. - Consulting Foresters