[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Oak wilt detected in Morrison County[/title][fusion_text]Tuesday, August 25th 2015
Oak wilt, an invasive fatal disease affecting all oak species, was confirmed for the first time in Morrison County by DNR and University of Minnesota staff in late July. The location is near Little Falls. The nearest known oak wilt confirmation previously was about 20 miles southeast in Benton County. The disease is recognized by a bronze to reddish-brown discoloration of the leaves that eventually wilt, starting at the edges of the tree canopy and progressing inward. Oak wilt fungus transfers between oaks in two ways: below-ground through connected roots and above-ground on the backs of sap beetles, which transfer the disease from spring through autumn. The disease will kill a red oak in one or two months, while it kills bur and white oaks usually over the course of a few years. Oak wilt is highly preventable, especially when the disease density is low, as in Morrison County. Landowners can prevent it by not wounding or pruning oaks from April through July when most above-ground infections occur. Since the disease moves below-ground through connected roots, it is expensive to stop. Vibratory plows severing connected roots underground at a five foot depth is the typical prescription. After roots are cut, the diseased oaks are cut down and destroyed or debarked before the following spring. To report oak wilt in an area not known to have the disease, people are encouraged to contact a local DNR forestry office.
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