As April brings a high risk for the often-fatal oak wilt disease across the state, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources recommends not pruning or cutting oak trees from April through July.
What you can’t see can kill a tree. Oak wilt is widespread in southern Wisconsin, but it is still a new and uncommon disease in much of northern Wisconsin.
As spring draws people outdoors to start seasonal yard maintenance and cleanup projects, when it comes to the health of oaks trees, keeping those chainsaws and trimming tools a safe distance will go a long way to ensure that your trees stay healthy for many more spring seasons to come.
More information is available online on the DNR’s oak wilt webpage and the DNR’s firewood webpage.
Additional information about proper pruning techniques is available from community foresters in the DNR’s Proper Pruning Techniques publication.
