Oak Tree Fungal Disease Spreads To Brooklyn, Suffolk County
ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A devastating fungus disease that kills oak trees has been found in more places in New York state.
Oak wilt fungus made its first appearance in New York in 2008 in the Schenectady County town of Glenville. The Department of Environmental Conservation and U.S. Forest Service removed about 100 trees from a suburban neighborhood to keep the disease from spreading.
On Thursday, the DEC announced that the disease has been detected in Brooklyn and the Suffolk County towns of Babylon, Islip, Riverhead and Southold. It was also found in Canandaigua in Ontario County earlier this year.
Once the disease hits oak trees, they die and have to be cut down.
New York State forester Rob Cole tells WCBS 880's Sophia Hall that the disease is spread by insects and root contamination with a nearby infected tree.
"Insects that transport the disease are active from March until about the end of June," he said. "We really would like homeowners to not prune their trees during those months."
There is no known treatment for oak wilt fungus other than to remove the infected trees, as well as any surrounding host oak trees to prevent its spread.
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