I worry about this affecting our oaks too. DH recently heard something on the radio about it…. This link to something on the Michigan state website was quite informative….

Thanks for the link. It's July 30th, but still...there might be some beetles out spreading their destruction. This tree is both adjacent to and near other oaks on my property, so this is not going to end well if it gets infected...

I mean...I can't be mad at the neighbor, he obviously didn't know and neither did DH. I'm more mad at myself because sometime I can't control my mouth and I made a comment to his wife while they were out there working about yea you should never trim oaks unless they're dormant -- I didn't mean to make her feel bad I don't know why I had get that in...

What kind of oak and can you reach the cuts to paint them?

tj

I'm not sure what kind of oak, and the cuts are too high without getting out the ladder, and I'm afraid of the ladder. If I can talk DH into doing it (not likely, but you never know...), what kind of product should he buy to seal the cuts?

This is from the U. of Minnesota: Quick facts

• Oak wilt is a fatal tree disease caused by a fungus that affects all species of oak trees.
• Oak wilt spreads from diseased to healthy trees either below ground via connected roots or above ground by insects.
• DO NOT prune oaks from April through July to prevent infection by sap beetles. Immediately cover unavoidable wounds with a latex-based paint or shellac.
• DO NOT move logs or firewood from recently wilted oaks, and don’t move fresh oak firewood from oak wilt-infected areas

OK, well, I had some old latex paint in the basement. Duct taped an old paintbrush to a 10-ft steel pole DH has in the barn and slapped the paint on as best I could on the cut and all around the collar. It might have glopped on kinda thick but I think I covered the wound and edges entirely, as far as I could tell from down on the ground. Fortunately the neighbor only made one cut on this tree, the tree behind it (not an oak but not sure what it is) had more work done on it.

It's been about 5 hours since they cut and I read in the links the beetles can move in as quickly as 15-20 minutes, so will just have to wait and see what happens, hopefully this is enough to keep it out if the beetles are anywhere around.

Knowing the species is important. If in the White Oak group (alba, bicolor, macrocarpa, etc.), your tree is not immune, but less susceptible to wilt than those in the Red group. It’s also past prime time for wilt, so hopefully you caught a break. The time is to get information, not panic. Maybe your tree is infected, but it may not be imminent.

As maackia has said, at least you are likely past the high risk time of year when transmission through insects is greatest. If oak wilt is not present in your area, then you might be worrying for nothing. Are there a lot of oak trees in your neighborhood? Have you seen any local stands of dying or dead oaks?

You can plug in your location here and see what the risk status is for you at this current time.

https://agweather.cals.wisc.edu/thermal-models/oak-wilt

Unless you see a number of oaks dying, it may not at this point be prevalent in your area.