Oak Wilt in the Hill Country: Why We Never Prune Oaks in Spring

The mature live oaks are a big part of what makes properties in Boerne, Fair Oaks Ranch, and Shavano Park special. They are also under a constant threat that a lot of homeowners do not know about until it is too late: oak wilt.

What oak wilt is

Oak wilt is a fungal disease that spreads through the root systems connecting nearby oaks, and it also gets carried tree to tree by small beetles. Those beetles are drawn to the fresh sap of a recent pruning cut. Once a tree is infected it often cannot be saved, and the disease can move through a whole stand of connected oaks.

Why timing matters

The beetles that carry oak wilt are most active from February through June. A fresh cut during that window is an open invitation. That is why the rule we hold to is simple: we do not prune oaks between February and June. When a limb genuinely cannot wait, storm damage for example, we seal the cut immediately to protect it.

If you have oaks that need work, the safest time is the dead of winter or the heat of late summer, when beetle activity drops off. Any cut, any time of year, should be sealed on an oak.

How we protect your trees

When we shape hedges and do tree trimming on your property, we work around your oaks on purpose. We keep our scheduled tree work off oaks in the risk window, we seal cuts when work is unavoidable, and we clean our tools between properties.

It is a small discipline that protects trees that took decades to grow. If you are worried about an oak on your lot, call us at (210) 816-3562 and we will take a look.