Cutting oak in the spring

[goof008]

I was talking to guy that was told you can't cut oak trees in the spring. He was told if you do, something goes on with the roots or something and it kills all the trees in a certain radius. He said the affected trees will die from the top down. As I'm not fortunate enough to get the chance at many oaks, I had never heard of such a thing. Anyone able to confirm, deny or explain this?

 

[Wood Scrounge]

I have never heard of that, but if you cut the oak now plan to burn it winter 10-11. Oak really needs a min of 18 months better yet 24 to burn at it's full potential. took me a few years to learn this lesson.

 

[Nuzzy]

Sounds like a load of BS and old wives tales to me.

 

[goof008]

That's what I thought too.

He did just get 2 new saw to cut the oak with...gave up the Craftsman saws and got a couple of nice Huskeys...so at least he did get some good advice last weekend!

 

[goof008]

Wood scrounge...he has a lot of blow downs that he's been cutting up. They blew down last fall. Not sure when he plans to burn them, but he has a lot of wood to cut up!

 

[sullyj]

Sounds like he is referring to oak wilt.

 

[johnha]

Why don't you post this over on one of the arborist sub-boards? You might get some more informed answers there than from us knuckle draggers over here in firewood.

I cut oak fine in the spring, and it goes right into the woodpile via the splitter.

In fact, I'm on my way out the door to cut some right now. :greenchainsaw:

 

[Beefie]

It does sound like OAK WILT. Here in Wisconsin it has become a concern with the D.N.R. . You can not cut down or transport a oak tree from the last frost in spring until the first killing frost in fall. The dnr is trying to keep it contained . Can find out more by going to the dnr website. Kind of sucks a lot of good trees are dying because of this. I have a buddy that has a cottage up by Wausaukee and he has lost 8 trees so far, the winter has been so much snow we couldn't get them cut down and now the ground is to wet to get equipment to the trees to get them cut before the last frost.

Beefie

 

[Nuzzy]

After reading this article on oak wilt, the only thing that seems to deal with cutting and spread would be if you are cutting a currently diseased tree that may have root grafts with other non diseased trees in the area.

The original post sounds like it's referring to all oak trees, in which case there is no such issue. So, I suppose if the "guy" giving the info was specifically talking about trees known to be affected with the oak wilt disease, then there may be some validity. However it certainly is not an "Oak" thing in general.

That's my take on it anyways

 

[computeruser]

Using Garlon on trees that have grafted to one another is also a bad idea...

 

[hutch3912]

You'll find it more commonly in soft woods but trees if they grow up tight without of space will have their roots graft. When you cut the tree down the stump starts to rot and goes into roots and eventually into the roots of the other tree causing that tree to rot from the inside and die. Its common in stands that haven't been thinned. I could see it being a problem in the spring if your on dry ground and thats the only time you get alot of moisture to speed up the rotting process. They had this problem alot when they were doing chemical thinnings, basically injecting the tree with a chemical that would kill it. They'd find that the tree they marked and the crop tree both died and the theory is it went through the roots. Cost alot of people some serious cash in some white pine stands up here because that comes in in fields wicked thick and the roots are all mixed and jumbled.

 

[JEA]

I have been visiting the site for a few months now, but this is my first foray into the topics that are posted. So, here it goes.....

Referring back to the original post by Goof008: Unfortunately, what your friend told you can be true. I am originally from Western Wisconsin and we have observed this effect on our farm where apparently neigboring health oak trees to ones that are cut can die after the cutting of the oak tree(s) in question. It doesn't appear to be oak wilt as we too have seen that in the area and that will result in clumps of dead trees and continue to kill other trees months to years after it started. In this situation, it will only be a tree or two and they have to be right next to the one that was cut and removed. As a result of what we have seen, we don't cut any oak trees from the early spring when the sap gets flowing until after the leaves turn brown or fall off in the fall/winter. We have also had problems when skidding out trees when the woods are fully leafed out. We have killed healthy oak trees just by barely scratching them, or knocking a little bark off when the log slides up against them, or breaking a few branches off when the other tree falls. It seems that oaks (at least in our area) are very sensitive to any damage they may receive when fully leafed out including things that must be going on in the ground with the roots. So, we basically don't do any tree removal during the spring or summer or any skidding in the woods on our farm during this time as we don't want to take the chance of injuring neigboring trees. I will add that I don't have any actual evidence of all this, just our observations over many years and quite a few extra dead oak trees that we have had to remove over the years. It is a dirty shame to see a dead oak tree with about the diameter of an ice cream pail to 5 gallon pail (with the first limb about 40-50 feet off the ground) dead in the woods right next to one that you removed during the spring/summer and no apparent reason for it.

 

[kevin j]

also applies to pruning or cutting healthy oak during the warm season. Any open wound, or damage from another tree being takend down but falling against the oak, anything that opens the bark can allow the bug/virus, to infect the good tree.

Sort of like how devasting the Dutch elm disease was in the 80's.
Thankfully don't have much EAB here yet.

 

[goof008]

Thanks for everyone's help. I sent the link to my buddy to read and forward on to his dad. He also did mention, the only way to stop it was to cut all the roots around the tree...just like mentioned in the link.

Thanks again

 

[tomtrees58]

:monkey: that's new to me i am and arborist from L I i no oak wilt to prune them you have to disinfect your saws tom trees

 

[brnchbrkr]

roots -

Oak roots spread far past the crown of the tree.

They are very sensitive to truck traffic, tractors, dozers, skidding logs.

If your running over the other Oak Tree roots, you may be damaging them and the signs will not show up for a few years later.

Happens around new construction.....graders move any soil over the top of the root zone = slow death with the home owner trying everything to save the oaks around the home. Too late, should of been addressed early on in the planning design phase.

Compacting Oak Tree roots with truck, skidder, tractor trafic is not good for the long term health of the tree.

http://www.sciway.net/photos/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=3197&g2_serialNumber=8

 

[JEA]

oak roots

Excellent point about damaging of oak roots during construction of new homes, digging of basements, and compaction of dirt. I had forgotten about this point, but your post reminded me that when my parents built their house back in 1965, they built it in a very nice stand of oak trees. They removed any tree closer than about 30 feet to where the basement was going to be dug. However, within 5 years every oak tree, except for two, within about 100 feet of the house was dead (about 2 dozen in total). So, the roots do have quite a spread and do interconnect, which I understand also plays a role in the spread of oak wilt. In this case, the trees didn't die from oak wilt, but due to disturbance of the roots from the construction process.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Year before last, I took a bull pine down, clipped some limbs from an oak on the way down...oak died.
I cut the last live oak about 3 weeks ago...sap was way up in it. I normally don't do that this late, but am expanding the garden, needed it out.

 

[Butch(OH)]

You might get some more informed answers there than from us knuckle draggers over here in firewood.

:greenchainsaw:

Hey! I represent that remark

 

[Wood Doctor]

I have never heard of that, but if you cut the oak now plan to burn it winter 10-11. Oak really needs a min of 18 months better yet 24 to burn at it's full potential. That took me a few years to learn this lesson.

That's precisely why in my book that American ash is still the best firewood you can possibly harvest. Cut and split it green now. Ready to burn in the fall.