On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 04:58:07 -0600, "Bob"
wrote:

Perhaps I am being over cautious, but I won't get compost made at landfill
sites from wood products, nor much either.

The reason is concern about Oak Wilt. Who knows anything about the tree
limbs brought into a landfill? Some may be from diseased trees. I have
read that even burning wood from diseased trees can spread the disease
through the smoke. If this is true and I don't know if it is, then
composting diseased wood isn't going to kill the disease if burning doesn't.
With mulch being raw wood, I think, there is the same concern.

Am I being overly cautious?

Bob

As you can learn at the link Cliff provided, the fungus that causes
oak wilt is highly sensitive to heat and drying. Mulch and sawdust
are not viable means of transmission of the disease (well, maybe in
the rain on a day with perfect temperatures, but realistically . . .).

Further, chips from live oak are not going to carry any oak wilt
spores. Fungal mats can only form on red oaks (the group, not just
whichever local species you may call "Red Oak"). This would include
what's locally called Texas Oak, Red Oak, Spanish Oak, Shumard Oak,
and Blackjack Oak. It's a crazy long shot that spores will be carried
from one tree to another by insects or wind. I am not suggesting you
disregard recommendations to prevent it (in fact, a study from A&M
that confirms the importance of painting pruning wounds even when they
are made properly outside the branch collar was published in the most
recent ISA journal), but just be aware that it's not quite as likely
as you may think.

More likely is that mulch will carry insects pests or some other
disease. Some caution as to the source of the mulch is in order, but
properly composted mulch should not be a problem regardless, nor mulch
made from healthy trees.

Keith Babberney
ISA Certified Arborist #TX-0236AT