Oak wilt, the deadly fungal tree disease, has been detected for the first time in Ashland County (in the town of Gordon). Beetles carry oak wilt spores to fresh tree wounds, and an infected tree will spread the disease to neighbors through interconnected roots. Red oak trees infected with oak wilt will die within a matter of weeks. The most obvious symptoms of oak wilt emerge when the disease strikes in mid-to-late summer, leaving branches with wilted leaves and leaves on the ground at a time wh