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State DNR working to manage oak wilt on Belle Isle

oak wilt
Greg Blick
/
http://j.mp/1SPGCl0 cropped
A probable oak wilt patch.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will discuss efforts to combat oak wilt disease in trees on Belle Isle in Detroit.

Public informational meetings are scheduled Thursday at the Nature Zoo and Great Lakes Dossin Museum on the island park in the Detroit River.

The state says oak wilt is a fungus that can spread from tree to tree through underground root connections, or grafts. Spores also can be spread by beetles attracted to the fungus' smell.

Oak wilt was discovered on Bell Isle last fall. A survey revealed the disease has been present for many years and may have killed as many as 112 trees.

The DNR says a plan was quickly drafted to contain and manage the disease.

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting.
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