Oak firewood, from tree with oak wilt

[Oww My Back Hurts]

I've got a lead on a couple huge oak trees that are in the process of dieing from oak wilt. It's about 20 miles away from where I live. Is it a bad idea for me to cut them down & bring them home & split & stack them here on my property? Can my oak trees get the wilt from the firewood?

 

[paul bunion]

So you are wondering if you can carry a fungal disease from one wood lot to another when you carry wood between the two? What can possibly go wrong? Let's think about it. What if your oak trees suddenly become firewood too?

 

[Woody Stover]

I think I read that it's possible but I wouldn't swear to it...

 

[Shawn Curry]

Well, they do recommend burning the diseased trees to stop the spread! In general though, you'd want to avoid transporting firewood from diseased or beetle-killed trees.

But I know if it were me, I'd have an awfully hard time resisting taking some oak. I'd probably take it, and do my best to try to quarantine the chainsaw dust and other mess from the tree, and be sure there are no oak trees nearby my stack location.

My shop vac does a great job of picking up the sawdust. If I do it before it gets rained on, I can get 90% of it; the rest is easily mulched into the lawn when I go over it with the mower.

 

[Butcher]

Yes oak wilt can be spread from you bringing home diseased wood. Certain insects are attracted to the fungus and feed on it and will carry it to your live trees. Spead is also more likely if your existing trees have any wounds on them.

 

[lindnova]

I have a little oak wilt in my woods and keep any possibly infected firewood in locations away from other oaks. Usually 500 ft away. If I did not have oak wilt in my trees I would not bring any infected firewood anywhere near my trees unless it went straight into the stove that same winter.

I think the risk goes down once the firewood is split, dry and lost the bark. The approved method of containing the wood is full black plastic containment to heat it up and contain any bugs from getting in or out.

 

[Charlie2]

If it's not against the law, it ought to be. You would not only be endangering your trees, but you'd be spreading it to your neighbors trees as well. Someone willing doing something like that is why we have so much government regulation. Ebola anyone?

 

[RockyFordOak78]

Can you c/s/s at the site and then haul smalerl quantities as you burn it? If you have it seasoned and keep it entirely covered after transport... However I am not a tree scientist.. Personally I'd pass..

 

[Shawn Curry]

If it's not against the law, it ought to be. You would not only be endangering your trees, but you'd be spreading it to your neighbors trees as well. Someone willing doing something like that is why we have so much government regulation. Ebola anyone?

I sort of agree; but on the other hand, if your firewood isn't coming from your own land, do you really know what you're getting?

One of my neighbors got a pretty sizable delivery of some ash logs; and I'd kinda like to ask where he got them. We haven't been hit with the EAB yet here, and I have hundreds of ash trees. Not ready to deal with that just yet.

 

[Charlie2]

I sort of agree; but on the other hand, if your firewood isn't coming from your own land, do you really know what you're getting?

One of my neighbors got a pretty sizable delivery of some ash logs; and I'd kinda like to ask where he got them. We haven't been hit with the EAB yet here, and I have hundreds of ash trees. Not ready to deal with that just yet.

Good point!

 

[Pellet_Pete]

I'll cast a vote for "bad idea". NY has confirmed oak wilt 60 miles from the MA border, and I sure as heck wouldn't want anyone knowingly moving it 20 miles closer!