Hypothetically, if there was oak wilt present on a small piece of wooded land (5-10 acres), how much would you say this would affect the value?

I was researching some info on oak trimming on Wednesday. One of the sites said up to 20%

I think it's more of a perceived value, unless the trees are going to be timbered I assume.

I value the trees on my 2 acre lot way more than most folks would. But they are a lot of folks who buy land without any trees on it on purpose.

We lost some huge old oaks to oakwilt up in liberty hill over the past 10 years. Our land values have continued to rise since it's a hot spot currently, but it would be worth more with them there

I can tell you when I was looking at land to buy a ranch several years ago I ran across a few properties with oak wilt. It was a deal killer to me. I just didn't want that problem. I would recommend doing what you can to get rid of it. If it's only 5-10 acres I would do my best to get rid of the oak wilt. Although I realize that may be easier said than done.

BoerneGator said:

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I would recommend doing what you can to get rid of it.

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Please give the rest of us a heads up on how you accomplish this, when you do.

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I don't have any oak wilt on my ranch in Blanco County. But I have read about trenching around the affected trees that have oak wilt to stop the spread via the root system. I believe there is a fungicide? that can be injected around the trees also. I just haven't dove too far in to the issue since I don't have it. I would start with the county extension agent to see if they have any arborist contacts. I doubt that a severely infected tree could be saved but if you could keep it from hitting the other oaks that would be great.

I don't know much about oak wilt besides what I read on google. It seems the easiest way to identify it visually is from the leaves, but right now all the trees have no leaves or are dead. I saw one live oak on the property that looked healthy. Are any of these pictures indicative of oak wilt?

bump

Live oaks don't loose their leaves until the spring and it is more of a shed with an immediate regrow. I think those are more likely red oak or blackjack oaks you are looking at that are just dormant. I have a lot of red oaks on my place in Blanco and they are the least healthy looking trees that I have. I'm not sure why. I think oak wilt is a live oak problem but I don't know for sure if it will hit the other oak types.

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I would recommend doing what you can to get rid of it.

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Believe me when I say I'm familiar with most, if not all remedies and treatments known to man. But to my knowledge, none of them do what is bolder in the above quote.

Yea I bet it is an almost impossible task. Maybe best just to cut down those trees and burn them. At least it would look better. Sorry you have to deal with that on your property.

CherryLodes said:

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We lost some huge old oaks to oakwilt up in liberty hill over the past 10 years. Our land values have continued to rise since it's a hot spot currently, but it would be worth more with them there

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Here

If I could post pics, I could show you acres of dead trees that would make one sick. Have a 200+ y o tree with a 4' diameter in my yard that just died. Pretty sad.

If they do have oak wilt, its best not to burn or cut any of them down. your chain / ax will be contaminated with the disease and can spread to other oaks you cut (unless you sterilize your tools, but I wouldn't take that risk). And of course burning the trees down (or using it as cooking or fire wood) will get in the air and spread. I heard digging a trench can stop / slow down the problem from occurring on other parts of your land .

Papa_Blaze said:

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And of course burning the trees down (or using it as cooking or fire wood) will get in the air and spread.

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I've heard the same but recently heard from a reliable source that's untrue. I tend to think it's safe to burn, but perhaps someone will cite an authoritative source/answer?

You're correct. I did a little more digging and found this article from 2014 basically saying fire kills oak wilt

http://www.dallasnews.com/life/gardening/2014/11/07/if-you-burn-wood-in-your-fireplace-be-forewarned-about-oak-wilt

Damn my source!

bookmyer said:

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Live oaks don't loose their leaves until the spring and it is more of a shed with an immediate regrow. I think those are more likely red oak or blackjack oaks you are looking at that are just dormant. I have a lot of red oaks on my place in Blanco and they are the least healthy looking trees that I have. I'm not sure why. I think oak wilt is a live oak problem but I don't know for sure if it will hit the other oak types.

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The red oaks are even more susceptible to oak wilt than the live oaks. Wherever there are a lot of red oaks there is a greater chance of getting oak wilt.

Papa_Blaze said:

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You're correct. I did a little more digging and found this article from 2014 basically saying fire kills oak wilt

http://www.dallasnews.com/life/gardening/2014/11/07/if-you-burn-wood-in-your-fireplace-be-forewarned-about-oak-wilt

Damn my source!

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That's a confusing article. It said that oak wilt can be spread through cut wood, but that burning it does not spread it. Doesn't make clear how cutting and hauling dead or infected trees does. I'd think once a tree is dead and dried out for several years, like many of my trees are, there'd be no living organism left to infect. I've talked to several experts, and have gotten as many answers about the malady.

It may or may not. You would have to have enough sales with both types of property (with and without) to determine if the market makes a negative adjustment for oak wilt.

That's only if both the buyers and sellers are aware of the problem.