Oak Wilt

If you’ve noticed that the trees in your backyard aren’t looking healthy, they may have oak wilt. Oak wilt is a problem that many trees get in Texas and most that get it, don’t make it. You can tell if a tree is healthy by looking at the leaves. This is the best way to see if a tree may have a disease. If the leaves on your tree are turning yellowish-brown from the center, your tree may have Oak Wilt. 

Oak wilt is a disease in oak trees caused by a fungus.  Some symptoms of this disease are leaf discoloring, but along with that leaves also tend to wilt and fall off the tree.  This disease can spread from tree to tree and can kill multiple oak trees simultaneously if not properly diagnosed and professionally treated. This disease predominantly kills red oaks and white oaks. Sudden leaf defoliation in the Summer is a sign of Oak Wilt. Oak Trees in the Dallas Fort Worth area are prone to this disease. 

This disease is one of three vascular oak tree diseases in North America, but it can kill oak trees quickly because it fools the tree into killing itself. 

Symptoms of Oak Wilt:

• Leaf Wilting
• Leaf Discoloration
• Defoliation