Oak Wilt
Oak Wilt is a vascular disease caused by an invasive fungus that spreads locally from infected trees to nearby healthy trees. Oak Wilt is one of the costliest diseases in the landscape, largely due to efforts to try to contain and eradicate the deadly disease once established in the landscape. On February 18, 2023 the City hosted a program with Dr. David Roberts, Ph.D., who discussed the issues our community's oak population is facing with Oak Wilt.
Dr. Roberts is retired from Michigan State University where he was a Senior Academic Specialist. He attained his B.S. and M.S. from The Ohio State University and his Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Dr. Roberts continues to engage in research and presents lectures on various tree and plant issues through his small business known as The Plant Doctor, LLC. He is also known as Michigan’s Tree Doctor.
Dr. Roberts has researched many issues in Michigan’s plant industry, including Dutch Elm Disease, Diplodia Tip Blight of Pines, along with variety of cultural problems such as plant nutrition and herbicide toxicity. He has worked on Oak Wilt for nearly 40 years, inventing several new and innovative remediation techniques.
Below are two videos of the February presentation and several articles by Dr. Roberts for additional information. Through continued education and the help of our residents we hope to eliminate this fungus from our landscape.
Video Presentation of Dr. Roberts - 2/18/23
Articles by Dr. Roberts:
- Oak Wilt - Part 1 - Symptoms, Biology and Diagnosis
- Oak Wilt - Part 2 - Prevention and Management Strategies
- Oak Wilt - Part 3 - Tales of Horror
- Oak Wilt Remediation - Part 1 - Root Graft Disruption
- Oak Wilt Remediation - Part 2 - Tree Injections
- Oak Wilt Remediation - Part 3 - The Glyphosate Stump Cup Technique
- Oak Wilt Interactives - Matters That May Be Mistaken for Oak Wilt
- Oak Wilt Management Options - Remediation Kill Ratio
- Promising Variations of the Glyphosate/Stump Cup Technique for Remediation
Michigan Department of Natural Resources 1-page
Forest Pest Alert - Oak Wilt
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
View the Oak Wilt Mapper - An Interactive Mapping Tool