One spring high wind event will negate and defeat any oak wilt cutting restriction. Our forester thinks and I, as timberland owner agree. Long term forest succession will happen despite our best efforts. Much of the land in my area was giant White pine, Hemlock, Redpine on uplands and the mix was in lower wetter bottomlands. My forest is littered with 150 year old cut and burnt pine stumps. And now littered with 150 year old dying oaks. Many old pine stumps look like trees were 4 foot across. The oaks filled a gap after mass deforestation Michigan experianced from mid 1850's till early 1900's. Seems our sandy gravely uplands are best suited to many evergreen species. The many pine species are thriving as the broadleafs are dying or crowded out by trees that grow best in our climate and soils. I have Hemlock and White pine along the river front that must have been tiny in the 1850's timber boom. they are now un sellable due to large size and difficulty to harvest.

Around here white pine can sometimes take over

I'm ok with the pines taking the land back. Before human intervention our area was as mother nature felt it should be.

I am responsible for killing my share !

I try to work them up on my place as they fall. Hate to see them lay and waste.

Yea me too, bought a Sawmill and make em into lumber then build hunting shacks with it.

I was wondering if the droughts last summer in Minnesota were taking its toll on the Red's this spring. I have about 8-10 in my yard that look completely dead or just have leaves on a limited number of branches. The trees with only a few branches of leaves have dead looking tops.

Cicada will start boring into the outer limbs very soon.

I wonder too what effect that might have had

I will send anybody who pays postage some red oak acorns soon as they drop this fall.

The end of next month is when I intend to start picking up white oak acorns. White oak, b/c they're less likely to get wilt.

The acorns appear to be on schedule. Some are already falling.

It could be this pest:

https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/invasive-insect-is-threatening-minnesotas-oak-trees-dnr-says/

We get a wasp that causes a knot on the limb and the bad infestation will wipe out red oaks my cousin lost 10 acres to this

Maybe all the buckthorn is stealing some of the moisture from red oaks