Sample weekly page for a made-up business. The owner sent us a customer's question, Can you trim my live oaks in April?
, and their answer: Not oaks between February and June because of oak wilt. Summer or winter is better. If a limb is dangerous we can take it off and paint the cut right away.
We built the page from their answer and checked the facts against the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Can you trim live oaks in April?
Not unless a limb is a safety risk. In Texas, oaks shouldn't be pruned from February through June, because that's when the beetles that spread oak wilt are most active, and fresh cuts attract them. The heat of summer or the cold of winter is a safer time. If a dangerous limb has to come off in spring, we paint the cut right away to seal it.
Why spring is the risky season
Oak wilt is a fungus that kills oaks. In spring, red oaks that died from it the year before can grow spore mats under their bark. Small sap-feeding beetles visit those mats, pick up spores, then fly to fresh wounds on healthy oaks and infect them. A pruning cut made in spring is exactly the kind of fresh wound they look for.
When to trim oaks instead
The Texas A&M Forest Service names two safer windows: the heat of summer, when the fungus makes few spores, and the cold of winter, when the beetles are least active. If your oaks need trimming, we'll schedule it for one of those times.
What if a limb is dangerous right now?
Safety comes first. If a limb is cracked, hanging or threatening your roof, it can come off in any season. We paint every fresh cut on an oak right away, which keeps the beetles from getting in. The Forest Service recommends painting oak wounds year-round, and says any kind of paint works.
Do live oaks and red oaks need the same care?
Both can get oak wilt, so the same timing rules apply. Red oaks are the most at risk and can die within about a month of infection. Live oaks are less likely to die quickly, but their roots often grow together, so the disease can spread from tree to tree underground.
Source: Texas A&M Forest Service, oak wilt guidance.
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