Stop Pruning Oak Trees

Due to the unseasonably warm temperatures, the Stevens Point Forestry Department has stopped pruning oak trees until October. It is recommended that residents also refrain from wounding oak trees. Normally, oak trees are susceptible to the fatal oak tree disease Oak Wilt (Ceratocystis fagacerarum) from April 1 to October 1, but the recent warm temperatures have pushed up that beginning date.

This year, if between mid-March and October 1, a property owner needs to remove a hazardous branch, or a developer wants to clear a lot, all stumps, wounds, and pruning cuts should be sealed immediately with pruning paint. Any paint will work, as long as wounds are immediately sealed. This only pertains to stumps, wounds, and pruning cuts made on oak trees.

New trees can be infected with oak wilt by sap feeding beetles that carry the oak wilt disease on their bodies. The beetles are active during these dates, and are attracted to new wounds on oaks to feed on the sap. In one research project, beetles were found feeding on oaks wounded only 15 minutes earlier. This is why it is so important to seal oak wounds and stumps immediately.

Once the disease infects an oak tree, it can move into its root system. Oak tree roots often graft together. When this happens the oak wilt disease can spread from oak tree to oak tree, and as a result the disease can spread from one property to the next. At that point it can be very difficult and expensive to control. Firewood from oak trees recently killed by oak wilt should be covered with a plastic tarp, and the sides sealed to the ground until the following fall. If this wood is not covered, it can attract the sap feeding beetles that spread the disease.

To help avoid a potentially costly situation incurred in actual costs of tree removal and oak wilt control measures, and the loss in property value associated with the loss of oaks, do not prune, wound, or remove oaks now until October 1.

For more information, call your local forestry department, or contact a certified arborist in the tree service section of the phone book

Winter Storm Safety Reminders from WPS

With the potential for a significant winter event in northeastern and north central Wisconsin, Wisconsin Public Service is prepared to respond if outages result. If wet, heavy snow falls along with high winds as predicted, power outages from downed trees or limbs could result. People are reminded to stay away from downed power lines which could still be energized and result in severe injury or death if contacted. The company also has several other important reminders for customers.

Customers with high-efficiency furnaces and water heaters that vent through the wall (not into a chimney) should be wary of a buildup of snow or ice around the vent. High-efficiency equipment provides great savings, but a blocked vent could cause the heating system to malfunction by shutting off or, in extreme cases, leading to an accumulation of carbon monoxide in the home. Customers should check the outside vents just to make sure they aren’t covered with snow or ice. Heavy snow and high winds could provide conditions that will result in blocked vents.

Carbon monoxide is an invisible, tasteless, odorless, undetectable poisonous gas that cannot be detected by human senses. Dubbed the “silent killer,” carbon monoxide claims more than 2,000 lives each year and sends more than 40,000 people to the emergency room in the U.S. alone. At high concentrations, carbon monoxide can be fatal within minutes. CO results when there is an improper and/or inefficient burning of natural gas. Customers who experience flu-like symptoms only when at home should arrange for a carbon monoxide check from their local emergency agency immediately. Customers who aren’t already using a carbon monoxide detector should strongly consider purchasing one, said the company.

The Red Cross has several recommendations in preparing for winter storms at its website, including a power outage checklist.

Public Service is also asking customers to be wary of the condition of gas and electric meters. Snow and ice buildup around gas meters, in particular, could lead to meter damage and a disruption in energy service. As the snow melts customers should check to see if icicles are forming above the meters. Large icicles could cause meter damage and potential service interruption if they break and fall into meters.

Flood advisories for Portage and Wood Counties

The National Weather Service in Green Bay has issued an urban and small stream flood advisory for Portage and Wood Counties until 9:30pm tonight.

The National Weather Service doppler radar has estimated rainfall amounts between 1 and 1.5 inches with additional amounts of 1 to 2 inches expected. Some locations that will experience minor flooding include: STEVENS POINT…WISCONSIN RAPIDS…AMHERST…BABCOCK… PITTSVILLE AND WHITING.