Oak Wilt Monitoring In the Hill Country
The Hill Country and Central Texas areas have been hard hit by oak wilt. Oak wilt in Austin has caught property owners off guard and is currently killing oaks at epidemic proportions. Comal County already has 8 reported oak wilt centers and 2 of these centers are in Canyon Lake. As recently as September of 2011, Tribemania detected a new oak wilt center which is in very close proximity to Mystic Shores. Without mitigation, it is estimated that oak wilt centers can spread as quickly as 100-150 feet per year, devastating property owners. It is also important to note that once a live oak shows oak wilt symptoms, the disease can kill a tree in 30-90 days according to Texas A&M Forest Service. Red oaks with oak wilt symptoms can kill a tree in as little as 7-30 days.
THE OAK WILT WAS PRESENT BUT UNDETECED.
In many cases, oak wilt is present and spreading undetected for years before it is discovered. In fact, this is what happened in Startzville on the south side of the lake. The Comal County Texas A&M Extension Forest Service was first contacted in 2011. They visited the site on September 15, 2011 and were unable to make a positive read for oak wilt. They returned almost three years later and noticed that the oak wilt had spread and at that time they declared this area as an active oak wilt center.
In the scenario above, our ongoing monitoring and detection service would have produced a positive result at least 2-3 years sooner. When it was finally determined to be an oak wilt center, the cost to trench and contain the spread pattern alone was in the $80k range. In these critical early formative stages, this community had no early detection, no ongoing monitoring, no cohesive mitigation efforts, no leadership, and no available funds to mitigate. Unfortunately, this hot spot is still active today with no end in sight.
WE ARE CURRENTLY MONITORING CANYON LAKE, STARTZVILLE WITH SUBLISTINGS IN MYSTIC SHORES AND FISCHER ROAD.
We are currently monitoring hot spots in Canyon Lake, Startzville, Mystic Shores and Fisher Road. We will soon be actively monitoring Las Brisas and Ensenada Shores on the south side of Canyon Lake. If you are interested in our services in your area or subdivision, please contact us.
As early as September 2021, I discovered an active oak wilt center in the Mystic Shores area. It is over 500k square feet in size which is substantial. I reached out to a Comal County Texas A&M agent who inspected the area and confirmed it as an active oak wilt center. This infected area is detrimental to many oaks in Mystic Shores and surrounding areas.
Oak Wilt Monitoring Service
Since 95% of oak wilt is spread through their interconnected root systems, it does not stop at property lines. Because of this, it is best controlled when communities and property owners work together. Tribemania has developed a new service called Oak Wilt Monitoring to help property owners combat oak wilt and prevent the spread in our area so that it doesn’t reach epidemic proportions like has happened in the Austin area.
Tribemania’s Oak Wilt Monitoring Service offers a new protocol in the fight against oak wilt. Our service offers access to our mapping system showing hot spots and spread patterns. This map is consistently updated as new hot spots are detected. The service also provides technical papers about oak wilt and proven mitigation strategies. We are currently offering the Basic Oak Wilt Monitoring subscription for free until February 28, 2022! After the trial version expires, you can upgrade your subscription to include a Personalized Oak Wilt Monitoring plan (described below) for $30 per month.
Personalized Oak Wilt Monitoring for your Property
Tribemania’s Personalized Oak Wilt Monitoring provides scrub monitoring of the trees surrounding your property within a 1000’ radius. We use satellite images to view your trees to determine if there are any signs of discoloration, decline, mortality and spread patterns that could potentially be oak wilt. This 1000’ radius creates a buffer zone around your property against undetected oak wilt spread that could threaten your trees. If significant signs are detected, we will visit your property to perform an onsite evaluation which may include drone surveillance. If it is determined that we have detected oak wilt on your property, we will develop a personalized mitigation plan, help coordinate funding efforts and ensure you hire the best vendors to properly deal with your effected trees and to prevent any further spread. The Basic and Personalized Subscriptions are available after the trial at $30/month.
Sample Oak Wilt Monitoring Plan
Sample Oak Wilt Monitoring Plan - providing 1,000’ of protection
Benefits
Scrub monitoring of the trees surrounding your property within a 1000’ radius
Hot spot maps showing oak wilt and spread patterns
Personalized mitigation plan
Help with coordinating funding and selecting vetted vendors
Technical papers on oak wilt
In Summary
Oak Wilt Monitoring is an ongoing effort. We consistently look for any signs of oak wilt in our area and if something is suspicious, we do further investigation to make a proper diagnosis. Our satellite monitoring technique has already successfully found three oak wilt hot spots in the Canyon Lake area in less than 6 months’ time. We suspect there are many more undetected hot spots. There is no any other source within the Texas Hill Country that provides this type of service.
Oak wilt is here in our communities and it is not going away. Comal County in general has had relatively low numbers of oak wilt centers compared to other counties in the Hill Country, but that is rapidly changing with the trajectory spread patterns coming our way from Hays, Kendall and Blanco counties. It has become a resident in our eco system and Canyon Lake is in the bullseye because of our close proximity to these counties.
If we come together as a community to proactively monitor for oak wilt, we can stop this devastating disease. This is what Tribemania’s Oak Wilt Monitoring Service is designed to do.
Basic Service - What’s Included
Hot Spots Map.
Our mapping system is the key component in monitoring existing oak wilt centers in the Hill Country. As a subscriber, you will have access to our mapping system of existing hot spots and spread patterns.
Technical Papers
Subscribers will receive regular technical papers that discuss new hot spots found and proven mitigation tactics and other information about oak wilt in our area.
Hot Spot Hotline.
This ongoing service allows anyone in the community who spots trees that look symptomatic and suspicious to contact us and we will investigate to determine if it’s oak wilt or not.
FREE UNTIL FEBRUARY 28, 2022
Personalized Service - What’s Included
Scrub Monitoring.
Subscribers receive scrub monitoring of the trees surrounding their property within a 1000’ radius. Satellite images are used to view their trees to determine if there are any signs of discoloration, decline, mortality and spread patterns that could potentially be oak wilt.
Coordinated Funding.
Most homeowners that have oak wilt detected in their area lack funds to properly mitigate the problem. As a subscriber, we will help solicit and coordinate funding and develop a proper plan to effectively address the problem as a community versus an individual.
BASIC AND PERSONALIZED SUBSCRIPTION IS $30 PER MONTH
Mitigation Plan/Consultation.
If oak wilt is suspected, we will visit your property to perform an onsite evaluation. We will develop a personalized mitigation plan, to properly deal with effected trees and to prevent any further spread.
Vendor List.
There is a lot of confusion and corruption in the oak wilt vendor services arena. As a subscriber, you will have access to a vetted list of vendors that provide proven techniques, ensuring the best possible results at a reasonable cost.