New York State Confirms First Case of Oak Wilt in Monroe County, Threatening Local Oak Trees
State officials have confirmed the first known case of oak wilt in Monroe County, New York, after an infected tree was identified in the town of Greece. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) notified the town that one of its oak trees tested positive for the fungal disease, which is often fatal to oak trees. Oak wilt is caused by the fungus Bretziella fagacearum, which obstructs the movement of water and nutrients within infected trees, leading to symptoms such as wilting leaves, early leaf drop, and branch dieback. The disease was first detected in New York in 2008 and has largely remained confined to isolated areas in the Finger Lakes, including parts of Ontario and Yates counties. The fungus spreads primarily through sap-feeding and bark beetles attracted to fresh wounds on oak trees and can also spread underground through connected root systems between neighboring oak trees. 
