Managing oak wilt disease in South Carolina

Oak wilt is a lethal disease that affects many native oak species in North America. It is caused by the fungus, Bretziella fagacearum, which colonizes the vascular system of susceptible oak species causing wilting, branch dieback and death of affected trees. Oak wilt disease is prominent in Eastern North America, particularly in areas of Texas and the upper Midwest, and occurs sporadically in the mid-Atlantic region and Ontario, Canada. However, since 1969, outbreaks of oak wilt disease have been documented in South Carolina, with diagnoses from ten counties including Aiken, Barnwell, Chesterfield, Darlington, Edgefield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lee, Lexington, and Richland. Of these, most oak mortality has occurred in Aiken County.