On 26 Aug 2005 15:54:40 -0700, "Doug Lassiter"
wrote:

Thanks. I'm tempted to buy. Ramifications noted. Alcohol, Lysol, and
bleach will all kill the virus, but the issue is not the nature of the
fluid, rather where the fluid doesn't get to. Leftover sawdust and
chips deep in the saw that the spray doesn't reach are well protected,
until they vibrate out into the wound. The wipe, brush & spray sounds
more sensible, but ...

If professional arborists simply spray the exposed blade, all the more
reason to buy my own saw rather than hiring them!
No doubt you could find a wide range of thoroughness among the
arborist comunity (though I'm not aware of any with an autoclave to
literally sterilize), but here's what I do and what I believe to be
the best method:

Remove the side cover of the saw, take off the bar and chain, and
clean out as much dust and debris as you can from all parts. Use an
air compressor if you have one, but you can do pretty well with a
nylon brush and determination. Then you can apply the chemical of
choice. Lysol is commonly recommended by various sources, and
probably does well enough, but to be really sure you would want to go
with the bleach solution. Much easier to tolerate this option on a
rental, since you don't pay the price of corrosion later. Soak all
parts and let them sit several minutes, then reassemble the saw and
go.

I have to say, your chances of spreading the disease this way are
actually pretty remote. A live oak that was killed by the fungus can
never produce spores. A red oak that dies from oak wilt can, but only
in moist, mild weather (thus the don't-prune-in-spring rule). Once a
fungal mat forms and spores are produced, they have to stick to the
saw, then somehow come off in a fresh wound on the next tree, then
germinate and spread. Simply cutting into the wood of an infected
tree will not do it. I'm not saying we shouldn't take such simple
measures to be on the safe side, but you're far more likely to prevent
the spread of some other disease than oak wilt by sanitation measures.

But to be really safe, make sure you have a firm grasp of a proper
pruning cut. If you do not know what a branch collar is, you need to
read up some. Trees are well equipped to seal vascular tissue that is
exposed just beyond the branch collar, but stubs can provide a
long-term entry point for a variety of problems and flush cuts never
heal properly (even after bark grows over the flush cut, internal
defects often lead to branch failure down the road). And monitor your
tree for natural injuries like storm damage, squirrell damage, rubbing
branches, etc. Remove damaged wood when possible and paint injuries
when removal is not practical.

more info:
http://www.texasoakwilt.org/

http://plantpathology.tamu.edu/Texlab/oakwilt.html

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/p...akwtmaint.html

good luck,
Keith Babberny
ISA Certified Arborist #TX-236