St. Catharines working to prevent spread of ‘oak wilt’ after case in Niagara Falls

The City of St. Catharines is taking steps to prevent the spread of a forest invasive that targets oak trees after Canada’s first case was detected last month.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says oak wilt, also known as Bretziella fagacearum, was found on oak trees in a residential area in Niagara Falls on May 23.

It was also recently discovered in the Township of Springwater.

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“Three trees on the property show signs of serious decline as a result of oak wilt,” the federal agency had told CHCH News.

“The CFIA is working with the property owner and the City of Niagara Falls to facilitate removal and destruction of implicated trees to prevent further spread of the disease.”

Oak wilt is an invasive vascular disease of oak trees caused by a fungus that disrupts the movement of water and nutrients.

St. Catharines officials are working to identify locations in the city that have a large amount of oak trees. Once an area has been determined, staff will look for signs of decline within the trees and for early detection of the fungus.

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“Trees will not be pruned between April and October, as per CFIA recommendations,” said Dan Cooper, manager of parks, cemeteries, forestry and horticulture in St. Catharines.

“If a tree needs to be pruned due to an immediate hazard, the tree will be treated with wound dressing to prevent the fungal spores from infiltrating the tree.”

The CFIA says the origin of the fungus in Niagara Falls is not known at this time.

What community members can do

The federal agency is encouraging Canadians to monitor the health of oak trees. Here are the signs of oak wilt to look out for:

• Wilting and bronzing of oak leaves, starting from the top of the tree and moving down
• Discolouration of the leaves, beginning at the leaf edges and progressing to the midrib
• Premature leaf fall
• White, grey or black fungal mats, also referred to as “pressure pads”, just under the bark that sometimes emit a fruity smell
• Vertical bark cracks in the trunk and large branches from the fungal spore mat exerting outward pressure on the bark

People can also protect oak trees by not transporting firewood long distances and not pruning oak trees between April and October.

Signs of oak wilt can be reported to the CFIA online, and should include the location of the tree and photos of the symptoms.

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