Despite immediate painting of pruning wounds by a diligent contractor – multiple, large long deer rub wounds, varmint chew wounding, wind breaks, etc. Infected red oaks with fungal mats are still standing in easy eyesight from roads in major and small municipalities in central Texas, while our northern counterparts follow diligent processes to identify and remove SP's prior to mat formation. Fungicide injections are failing due to poor application timing, technique, product, and dosing issues among others.

Trenches are failing because depths are not specified as deep as needed as well as roots are re-grafting after the fact. Here is where the rubber hits the road – good ideas and theories and “science” get their test when action – or lack of action occurs and we observe the results. What is happening is a perversion of nature which we are fully responsible for by stopping the fires which regularly renewed our state and we provided no alternative means of maintaining the geographical separation of oak motts and control of oak mott root sprout expansion. This is NOT Mother Nature taking her natural course. A defeatist attitude is an unacceptable position. I believe taking on this powerful adversary with diverse arrays of tactics and ingenuity as exemplified in the heart of the approach and message of Sun Tzu can get us to that point here.

Maybe if the efforts were successful – but here in Texas, we are losing this battle – badly. “ Oak wilt management” does not quite convey the right message in my assessment.

Hoa covenant oak wilt