Got to trim some oak this fall/winter, and will need to rent a small
saw to do it. Is there a recommended procedure for sterilizing a power
saw? I assume, for lack of any better knowledge, that the particular
saw they give me has been ripping up an oak-wilt infested tree ... For
a hand saw, a soak in a tub of dilute bleach will do the trick, but
that's a little harder on a gas engine! I could run the saw with the
blade immersed in a bucket of the stuff (which might be exciting!), but
it's not clear if that is good for the saw, nor is it clear that it
gets everything sterilized that needs to be sterilized. That is, the
chain gets treated, but that chain is running around and around in a
larger mechanism that isn't.

A neighbor told me "oh, just spray it with bleach", which sounds
insufficient.

What do responsible arborists do?

Doug Lassiter wrote:
What do responsible arborists do?

I remember hearing an arborist on CTG mention Lysol spray.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

I spray off blade with alchohol as part of my clean up procedure, after
brushing off loose sawdust with stiff brush, I spray off with 99%
alcohol from heb, till it is running off of blade, then wipe down with
clean dry rag, followed by start and short run to re oil chain. Do a
more detailed cleaning when change chain to sharpen. for pruners and
hand saws do about the same, substituting wipe with clean oily rag for
start and run.

Doug Lassiter wrote:
Got to trim some oak this fall/winter, and will need to rent a small
saw to do it. Is there a recommended procedure for sterilizing a power
saw? I assume, for lack of any better knowledge, that the particular
saw they give me has been ripping up an oak-wilt infested tree ... For
a hand saw, a soak in a tub of dilute bleach will do the trick, but
that's a little harder on a gas engine! I could run the saw with the
blade immersed in a bucket of the stuff (which might be exciting!), but
it's not clear if that is good for the saw, nor is it clear that it
gets everything sterilized that needs to be sterilized. That is, the
chain gets treated, but that chain is running around and around in a
larger mechanism that isn't.

A neighbor told me "oh, just spray it with bleach", which sounds
insufficient.

What do responsible arborists do?

In article ,
Victor Martinez wrote:

Doug Lassiter wrote:
What do responsible arborists do?

I remember hearing an arborist on CTG mention Lysol spray.

Good suggestion, but 10% bleach will kill more bugs than lysol. ;-)
It's what we use in the lab to clean counters as it kills the HIV and
Hepatitis virii on contact.

FWIW, a 10% bleach solution has maximum ionization potential so actually
disinfects better than pure bleach.

Cheers!
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

I wouldn't rent. You can buy a small gas-powered chainsaw at Home
Depot or Lowe's for around $100. A nice, light, 14" Echo costs about
$200. Unless you are cutting up huge trees these small saws will do
the trick, I have gotten through some very thick logs with these,
working both sides if needbe. They are perfect for smaller stuff, 12"
and less, and like I said, larger is doable with care, you can even
buy a larger bar and chain for the Echo if you need more length. I
just wouldn't take the chance with a rental on transmitting oik wilt,
plus having your own will allow you to use it again in the future. I
have worn out my first saw (cheapo brand) and recently replaced with
an Echo. Admittedly I have a lot of trees, and am constantly trying
to get rid of as much cedar as my wife will let me get rid of, so my
saw gets used a lot. $100 just isn't much considering the potential
ramifications. Plus you may spend nearly that in a rental fee anyway,
not to mention worrying about sterilizing, time to pick up and return,
etc.

That said, I have been told the Lysol spray thing is the way to go.

andyd

On 26 Aug 2005 07:32:38 -0700, "Doug Lassiter"
wrote:

Got to trim some oak this fall/winter, and will need to rent a small
saw to do it. Is there a recommended procedure for sterilizing a power
saw? I assume, for lack of any better knowledge, that the particular
saw they give me has been ripping up an oak-wilt infested tree ... For
a hand saw, a soak in a tub of dilute bleach will do the trick, but
that's a little harder on a gas engine! I could run the saw with the
blade immersed in a bucket of the stuff (which might be exciting!), but
it's not clear if that is good for the saw, nor is it clear that it
gets everything sterilized that needs to be sterilized. That is, the
chain gets treated, but that chain is running around and around in a
larger mechanism that isn't.

A neighbor told me "oh, just spray it with bleach", which sounds
insufficient.

What do responsible arborists do?

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!

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

Excellent. I leaned a lot from that. There is a lot of oak wilt
mythology around, and your words are appreciated. I had always thought
that oak wilt was transmitted by infected this touching open wound in
that, a la bacterial or viral infection, but I guess it's more
complicated than that. Thanks!!

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Victor Martinez wrote:

Doug Lassiter wrote:
What do responsible arborists do?

I remember hearing an arborist on CTG mention Lysol spray.

Good suggestion, but 10% bleach will kill more bugs than lysol. ;-)
It's what we use in the lab to clean counters as it kills the HIV and
Hepatitis virii on contact.

FWIW, a 10% bleach solution has maximum ionization potential so actually
disinfects better than pure bleach.

sometimes bleach is available in different strengths. is there any way for
you to give an overall or universal indication of what you find is the best
strength please. thanks.

In article ,
"jw 1111" wrote:

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Victor Martinez wrote:

Doug Lassiter wrote:
What do responsible arborists do?

I remember hearing an arborist on CTG mention Lysol spray.

Good suggestion, but 10% bleach will kill more bugs than lysol. ;-)
It's what we use in the lab to clean counters as it kills the HIV and
Hepatitis virii on contact.

FWIW, a 10% bleach solution has maximum ionization potential so actually
disinfects better than pure bleach.

sometimes bleach is available in different strengths. is there any way for
you to give an overall or universal indication of what you find is the best
strength please. thanks.



Well, at work we just use the common household bleach and dilute 1 part
bleach with 9 parts water. This makes a 10% solution.

If you are concerned about quality, buy Clorox. ;-)

That is the brand name that both Coulter and Sysmex recommend for
machine disinfection.

Cheers!
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson