New Interactive Guide to Oak Wilt in the Northeast and Midwest

Oak wilt is a fungal disease that kills oak trees both in the forest as well as in our communities. It is found in a number of regions across the United States, including the northeast and midwest. Oak wilt has been identified in the majority of counties in the western half of Pennsylvania. While it is not widespread or uniformly distributed within these counties, it is important to be aware of the disease in case it shows up in your woods or landscape.

To help better understand all aspects of oak wilt, a new online guide on is now available from the US Forest Service. The guide, Oak Wilt in the Northeastern and Midwestern States, uses a Story Map format combining narrative with photos and maps to provide an interactive way to learn about oak wilt and the threat it poses to oak trees throughout the northeast and midwest regions of the United State.

The guide includes a range of information on oak wilt including:

• Background and Biology: Information on how oak wilt disease affects oaks and its distribution, development, and spread.
• Distribution and Severity: Maps of oak wilt’s distribution and where it is expected to cause the most damage. 
• Detection and Surveillance: Information on symptoms, survey methods, and how to submit a sample for confirmation.
• Factors Affecting Disease Severity: More in-depth information on the factors that lead to oak wilt causing serious damage in a forest and how they affect management. 
• Management Approaches and Tools: A look at the disease cycle and available tools to break the disease cycle, as well as criteria to help decide which tools might be most appropriate.
• Scenarios: Oak wilt management is not “one size fits all,” so this series of examples will show how land managers have chosen the most effective tools for their situation.

In addition to this new guide from the US Forest Service, resources from Penn State Extension on oak wilt in the forest and in your community or backyard will allow you to be knowledgeable and prepared to identify and manage the fungal disease if it shows up in your oak trees.