A Note From

Executive Director

Melissa Kinast

click on the notecard to view!

2021 Summer Intern Celebration

Our 2021 Interns gathered at Far Field on August 17 for an end-of-summer celebration. The students showed off the Preserve to their families, although everyone expressed surprise over how different Far Field looked now in August versus June when the Interns were in the field! The plants evolve daily and the ever changing vista is beautiful to watch.

BACT Board Vice President Matt Vondra welcomed everyone and Conservation@School Coordinator Navraaz Basati described the activities the Interns had participated in. She also brought ink that she had made from native chokeberries, along with seed paper to paint on! Even parents broke out their inner artists!

Guest speakers from the internship weeks joined us again and Far Field’s donor, Mary Smith, spoke of her history with the land and the joy of watching it flourish. It was a beautiful summer evening in the Preserve!

Students from Barrington High School will be visiting both Far Field and Pederson Preserve during this school year for some hands-on citizen science. Next up at Far Field – OakTober Fest on October 3 – watch our website for more info to come!

Oak Wilt

Awareness

Those mighty oaks can be felled, rapidly and silently with no axe or chainsaw in sight. OAK WILT can kill a previously healthy oak within weeks after infection. 

Caused by the fungus Ceratocystis fagacearum, oak wilt is a serious disease threat in the eastern and central US. It can be found in all counties of Illinois and 18 other states. 

The fungus invades the water conducting tissues and induces the tree to clog its own vessels, preventing the normal flow of water – thus the leaves will wilt. It spreads from infected trees through the root entwined with neighboring oaks and also via insects carrying the spores from one tree to another.

All oaks are susceptible to oak wilt. The red oak subgenus, which includes red, black, Hill’s, pin and scarlet oaks, is more susceptible. This group dies quite rapidly. The white oak subgenus (white, bur, English, swamp white and chinkapin) typically develops symptoms more slowly, showing branch dieback for years before dying.

Red Oak subgenus

• rapid wilt starting at the top of the tree and progressing inward and downward within weeks
• leaves may curl and become stiff
• complete leaf drop usually in the middle of summer
• dropped leaves may be grayish-green or brown at the tip and margin, yellow or bronze
• profuse suckering at the tree base 
• cross-section of an infected branch may show brown streaking in the outer ring of sapwood

White Oak subgenus

• similar to red oaks but spread more slowly and localized
• complete defoliation does not occur
• may develop a “stag head” isolated dead branches at the crown

NOTE: symptoms can be confused with other issues and can only be confirmed with lab test

Steward Your Oaks!

A certified arborist can guide you

Minimize pruning – avoid any unnecessary wounding. DO NOT prune between April and October. Open wounds attract beetles active during this time and that can increase the likelihood of infection.  

Remove infected trees immediately. 

Sever (mechanically or chemically) root grafts – the underground points where tree roots have become intertwined and conjoined.

Remove infected wood. Purchase firewood only from legitimate sources to prevent importing the fungus. 

Fungicide injections can be applied by professionals under certain circumstances for high value trees.

For more information, visit the Morton Arboretum. Also, The Field Museum Oak Identification Guide. Fun Fact: The White Oak is the Illinois State Tree!

Photos courtesy of illinois.gov, wisconsin.gov, texas.gov, michigan.gov, MSU