This is a big deal...

[growalot]

Please read the link ...We have enough trees dying in NYS...and if they find this in just one of your oak...They will order the cutting and burning of every oak  within root touching...they have extensive root systems.

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/NYSDEC/bulletins/17fe6a4

http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/46919.html

[Steve D]

I think mother nature is taking care of the pruning today Any tree standing today should be a healthy tree. Definitely something to keep an eye on with oaks being as important as they are especially to wildlife

A major loss would be devastating .pdf link will show how we are doing so far:     oak.pdf

 

Edited March 8, 2017 by Steve D

[growalot]

What I find a tad disturbing is no mention of having towns take that road side tree destroyer they use to mangle back limbs and brush ,forced to do all their work in non growing months. I Personally believe they are the biggest spreaders of disease amongst trees and shrubs throughout the state. Also the crews that do utility line trimming. That mulch gets dropped here and there all over the areas they work..All one needs to do is stop and ask for a load or few.

[rachunter]

This is pretty bad here on long island.i work in a compost grinding yard and we get truck loads of oaks.Pine trees are getting beat up by Asian longhorn beetles as well.Over the weekend i seen areas of dead pine trees.hopefully they can figure these out. I'd hate to see these trees wind up like the chestnut tree.

[growalot]

That and cankers with beech ,root fungi and cankers with maples,gypsy moth in pine ..ect..ect 

[Doc]

Somewhere buried deep in the archives, lives a thread that I posted here about this very problem, a year or two ago. As sportsmen/women, we understand the importance of oaks in the animal habitat and diet. If this stuff effects even a majority of oak trees, the results will be disastrous. I hope Cornell or somebody is working on a disease-resistant variety of Oak trees right now, because it sounds like they will be required.  

[LET EM GROW]

The ash bore is doing a number on our ash trees. The few that are still alive don't look to have much life left in them.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[chas0218]

17 hours ago, growalot said:

What I find a tad disturbing is no mention of having towns take that road side tree destroyer they use to mangle back limbs and brush ,forced to do all their work in non growing months. I Personally believe they are the biggest spreaders of disease amongst trees and shrubs throughout the state. Also the crews that do utility line trimming. That mulch gets dropped here and there all over the areas they work..All one needs to do is stop and ask for a load or few.

That and the community piles of "mulch" from all the roadside derbis. Best way to spread diseases and bugs. That should all be taken to a designated area and burned as biomass for electrical generation or heat not used around hundreds of homes across the county.

[NFA-ADK]

Scary!

[growalot]

Think about all the mulch that's getting chipped in the wind "storm " area. They were out in force today...much of the stuff I saw up rooted and blown down looked diseased . Not strong roots small root bald in huge trees and hollowed out line and trunks...

[Steve D]

Updated  3/28/17:

DEC Establishes Oak Wilt Protective Zones in Greenwood Heights, Canandaigua and Suffolk County

03/28/2017

DEC Establishes Oak Wilt Protective Zones in Greenwood Heights, Canandaigua and Suffolk County Protective Zones will help prevent spread of deadly oak wilt tree disease The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that Oak Wilt Protective Zones have been established in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Greenwood Heights, Kings County; the Town of Canandaigua, Ontario County; and all of Suffolk County. These zones are the first line of defense in preventing the spread of oak wilt, a deadly tree disease. Previously, DEC established Oak Wilt Protective Zones in the towns of Glenville, Schenectady County, and Central Islip, Suffolk County. The county-wide Protective Zone for Suffolk County replaces the zone for Central Islip. Protective zone order signed.... signed 3/23/17 http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/owordercanandaigua.pdf http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/46919.html

 

[Steve D]

DEC Announces Summer 2017 Oak Wilt Management Actions in New York State

06/19/2017

DEC Announces Summer 2017 Oak Wilt Management Actions in New York State State Encourages the Public to Report Oak Trees Losing Leaves in July and August State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced plans to manage the spread of the invasive species that causes oak wilt disease and confirmed that the 15 trees infected by oak wilt in New York during 2016 have been removed. DEC is continuing to monitor for additional infection sites in cooperation with state and local partners, including the Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic (PDDC) at Cornell University, and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (DAM). "Without the support of the Department of Agriculture and Markets and Cornell University, these oak wilt infections may have gone unnoticed and the potential for spreading throughout New York State could have led to a significant loss of oak trees," said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. "Continued collaboration with our state and local partners is critical to protecting our rural and community forests." DEC identified potential infection sites, collected samples, and submitted them to Cornell University for analysis. Cornell's PDDC staff conducted tests to confirm or rule out the presence of oak wilt. The funding for this work was provided by DAM through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. PDDC will continue to test submitted samples throughout the 2017 growing season while working to streamline and testing procedures. DEC is dedicating four additional staff to oak wilt this summer. Crews will monitor trees in the protective zones near infection centers and watch for oak wilt symptoms to track the spread of oak wilt in the areas where it was detected last year. DEC will also be conducting aerial surveys in July and September over the protective zones, in the lower Hudson Valley, and the Southern Tier to look for symptomatic trees. DEC staff will visit symptomatic trees detected in aerial surveys and by landowners to determine if a sample should be taken. DEC plans to take 200 oak wilt samples this year, which will be sent to Cornell for processing. DEC is also working with partners to plan a public oak wilt symposium for this fall. State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, "We are pleased to support our partners at DEC and Cornell University and their continued efforts to identify and monitor for oak wilt in our trees. Working together, we can better manage these types of threats to our natural resources. I encourage the public to also be proactive in helping us watch for and report any signs of oak wilt." Governor Cuomo increased funding for invasive species control to $12 million from the Environmental Protection Fund in the 2017-18 State Budget, including a $2 million grant program for communities and groups across New York. Invasive species are detrimental because of their ability to reproduce quickly, outcompete native species, and adapt to new environments. Because invasive species did not evolve with the other species in their new location, they often do not have natural predators and diseases that would normally control their population within their native habitat. Economists estimate that invasive species cost the United States more than $120 billion in damages every year. Senator Tom O'Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats), Chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, said, "We are grateful for these ongoing efforts by the state departments of Agriculture and Environmental Conservation, in partnership with Cornell University, to protect New York State's oak trees and the overall health and vitality of our forests." New York State Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Chairman Steve Englebright said, "Thanks to the DEC and its state and local partners for their comprehensive response to the occurrence of oak wilt disease in New York State. Through monitoring, identification, evaluation and removal, the DEC has been a proactive leader in the management of this immense threat to our state's oak resources. Oak wilt monitoring and management is a true group effort with the invaluable assistance of the Department of Agriculture and Markets, Cornell University, local and city governments, arbor professionals and even our state's citizens who are asked to report trees that suddenly lose their leaves during the summer months." Kings County Joseph Charap, Director of Horticulture at Green-Wood Cemetery and his staff worked with DEC to monitor for additional signs of oak wilt after the disease was confirmed on the property last July. In January, cemetery staff removed and chipped the one infected tree detected. Charap worked with New York City Department of Parks and Recreation's (NYC Parks) to host workshops that educated tree care professionals on recognizing the signs of oak wilt and employing practices to prevent the spread of the disease. "We are proud to collaborate with DEC and NYC Parks to lead the way in fighting oak wilt in Brooklyn," said Charap. "We will continue to monitor our trees and remove any infected trees in the cemetery to help prevent further spread of this disease." NYC Parks is responsible for thousands of oak trees in Brooklyn and will play a leading role in monitoring for oak wilt. In addition, NYC Parks will also provide outreach materials to city parks to inform visitors about the disease. DEC is working with PDDC to train NYC Parks staff as an official oak wilt sample collector and assist DEC with field operations this year. Ontario County In January 2017, DEC regional staff dug a trench and installed a root graft barrier to prevent the spread of oak wilt through the infected tree's roots to other oaks. In March 2017, DEC contractors removed an infected tree and seven at-risk oaks close enough that their roots may have already been grafted. Suffolk County The Town of Southold met with DEC in January 2017, to discuss options for oak wilt management. After determining a course of action, the Southold Highway Department removed and disposed of an infected tree. Trenching and root graft barriers were not used because multiple infections were found in Suffolk County and additional information is needed to determine whether these activities will be effective. Instead, the stump of the infected tree was treated with herbicide to prevent further spread of the disease through root grafts. "The removal of the oak wilt infected tree was made easy through coordination with DEC," said Vincent Orlando, Southold Highway Superintendent. "DEC met with our staff to make sure we understood how to remove and dispose of the infected tree properly and safely." In Riverhead, Wildwood State Park removed an infected tree in February. The wood from the infected tree was covered with plastic and will remain covered for one year to prevent further spread by insects. The stump of the infected tree was also treated with herbicide. In West and Central Islip, DEC contractors removed the 11 infected trees detected last summer. The town hosted a meeting on behalf of DEC regarding the status of oak wilt in Islip last October, and has continued to educate staff and residents about the disease. Jim Heil, Commissioner of the Town of Islip's Environmental Conservation Department said, "Town of Islip officials have been cooperating with DEC on this issue. During the fall season, we conducted a separate collection of contaminated branches and twigs for disposal at the Town's Waste-to-Energy facility, in order to prevent the spread of oak wilt. The Town will continue to assist DEC in containing the spread of the disease." Oak wilt is a serious tree disease in the eastern United States, killing thousands of oaks each year in forests, woodlots, and home landscapes. Oak wilt is caused by a fungus, Ceratocystis fagacearum, which grows in the water conducting vessels of host trees, plugging up these vessels and preventing water transport. As water movement within the tree is slowed, the leaves wilt and drop off. DEC is encouraging the public to be on the lookout this summer for oak trees that suddenly lose all or most of their leaves during the months of July or August. These occurrences should be reported to DEC's Forest Health Information Line toll-free at 1-866-640-0652, or via email [email protected]. Submitting pictures of oaks showing symptoms of oak wilt is highly encouraged. For more information about oak wilt or the emergency orders, visit DEC's website