Cities across Johnson County have spent the last several years and millions of dollars removing doomed ash trees that were dead or dying from emerald ash borer infestations.
Now, some local foresters and arborists are warning that another illness could pose a threat to mature trees that line streets and provide shade in local yards.
Oak wilt is a fungal infection that can rapidly wipe out an oak tree after it becomes infected. It harms a tree’s vascular system, tricking it into blocking its own water vessels, and the disease can spread to other trees through insects or underground root connections…