William J. Kemble is reporting in the Daily Freeman the village of Rhinebeck is urging residents to follow pruning guidelines in an effort to keep the fungal disease oak wilt away. Village Tree Commission Chairwoman Meg Crawford said this week the problem is spreading from Midwestern states. Trees at risk for oak wilt are red oaks, pin oaks, chestnut oaks and white oaks. “This virus that kills the tree very quickly is carried by a sap beetle,” Crawford said. “So to prevent the sap beetle from getting into trees, people are asked not to prune or take down oak trees between the months of March and September, when the sap beetle is active.” Red oaks can die within a few weeks to six months of being infected, and the disease spreads quickly from tree to tree, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.