Guest Blog by Atticus Fewson, Canada Summer Jobs student and a Political Science student at McGill University
Lake Simcoe’s health depends in part on the health of its surrounding forests. An emerging threat to our red and white oak forests is Oak Wilt, which can kill infected red oak trees in two to six weeks! Oak trees support an unparalleled range of creatures, and provide shade on Lake Simcoe’s shores and our yards. Oak Wilt treatment is possible but expensive, so our best defence is to do everything we can to prevent the spread of this dangerous fungus.
Oak Wilt is a fungal pathogen that infects and kills oak and chestnut trees extremely quickly. Oak Wilt kills thousands of trees in the U.S. each year, which has a disastrous cascading effect on ecosystems. The fungus grows on the outer sapwood of the tree, significantly limiting the amount of water and nutrients that can circulate through the tree and keep it alive and healthy. Symptoms of Oak Wilt include vertical cracks in the bark of the tree and the formation of fungal mats, which are white, grey, or black fungal discolorations on the bark. In addition to this, infected trees experience premature leaf fall and discolouration, with leaves typically morphing into a yellow or bronze colour, and wilting of leaves starting from the top of the tree and moving downwards.
While its origins are unknown, Oak Wilt can be found in 24 American states and was first found in Ontario in Niagara in 2023. It has since been found in Springwater, near Barrie, which lies on the shores of Lake Simcoe. The Ontario cases are traced to the movement of infected wood.
The best way to prevent Oak Wilt from spreading is by halting the movement of infected wood. This means that you should not move oak firewood, and you should refrain from cutting or pruning oak and chestnut trees during the warm months from April to November. In addition, you can report sudden leaf falls to the Canada Food Inspection Agency (https://inspection.canada.ca/en) to ensure that those who can prevent the spread of Oak Wilt have all the information they need to do so. It is important that we are aware of all threats to our ecosystems in order to keep a healthy Lake Simcoe and a healthy Planet. The Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition would like to thank our loyal readers and encourage them to find out more about Oak Wilt at https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/invasive-species/meet-the-species/invasive-pathogens/oak-wilt/
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References
All About Oak Wilt. (2023, December). Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. https://thamesriver.on.ca/oak-wilt?doing_wp_cron=1721091846.8146450519561767578125
Oak Wilt. (2024, July 3). Invasive Species Centre. https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/invasive-species/meet-the-species/invasive-pathogens/oak-wilt/