Mt. City Montage
by PAULINE TOM
Caution! Danger! Some tree trimmers operating in Mountain City (and some uninformed residents) do not know that February through June is the highest risk period for the spread of oak wilt. Eric Becker, Texas Forestry Service stated, “Tree wounds should be painted (with wound dressing or latex paint) year-round.”
A huge dying live oak in our front yard stands almost bare, and behind it, the skeletonized once-glorious cul-de-sac live oak of “Live Oak Drive.” I count at least two dozen live oaks destroyed by oak wilt, as it is creeping through interconnected live oak roots of properties around me, a few feet each year. What a loss for Mountain City.
It takes only one fresh unpainted wound, even a small wound with pruning loppers to start an “oak wilt center.” The beetle that carries the fungus from an infected red oak smells the sap (from as far away as one-half mile) and enters the healthy tree. The act of one careless, lazy or uninformed homeowner can affect neighbors and future residents for decades, as trees die one by one. Another word from the Texas Forestry Service: Clean all pruning tools with 10 percent bleach solution or Lysol between sites and/or trees.
A declaration from the International Society of Arboriculture, Texas Forest Service and Texas AgriLife Extension Service recognizes that sometimes pruning in the spring cannot be avoided (i.e., public safety, repair of damaged limbs) and should only be done to “accommodate required clearance.”
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This column gets turned in on Valentines Eve, so I cannot report for certain whether or not Valentines 2012 for me includes the tatterered and torn and taped plain brown envelope containing the Valentine RonTom first gave to me in 1978.
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I can say for certain that I need tidbits in order to compile Montage. With emailed tidbits, I just cut and paste. Whether by email ([email protected]) or voice (268-5678 or 517-5678), your tidbits keep “Montage” alive. Thanks!
