Oak wilt in Boerne, TX
Boerne is one of the few Hill Country cities that pays residents back for part of their oak wilt costs. Here's how the program actually works, and what it doesn't cover.
Plain-English summary of the City of Boerne Oak Wilt Incentive Program as of October 2026. We're not affiliated with the City. Check its page and application before you rely on this.
City of Boerne Oak Wilt Incentive Program
- It's a reimbursement paid after the work is done, only for properties inside Boerne city limits, and subject to each fiscal year's funding. Removal and disposal of symptomatic red oaks gets priority. Other applications are handled in the order received.
- Treatment: $5 per inch of trunk diameter for proper fungicide injection, up to $1,500 per property per fiscal year. It covers symptomatic oaks that aren't red oaks and have no more than 30% canopy loss, plus healthy oaks within 100 ft of a symptomatic tree.
- Removal: $50 per inch for symptomatic or dead red oaks over 8″ DBH suspected of fungal mats, and $25 per inch for dead non-red oaks over 12″. Up to $1,500 per property per fiscal year. The combined maximum is $3,000 per property per year.
- Requirements: a confirmed diagnosis (from a qualified applicator or accredited lab), engraved aluminum tree tags, treatment by macro- or hybrid micro-infusion under a degreed forester or an Oak Wilt Qualified ISA Certified Arborist, a signed post-treatment report, and possible field checks by the City's Urban Forester.
What the rebate covers, honestly
At $5 per inch, a 20-inch live oak earns about $100 back. Published Texas treatment prices for a tree that size are often several hundred dollars or more (see costs). So the rebate offsets part of the bill, not the whole job. To reach the $1,500 treatment cap, you'd need about 300 inches of treated trunk, which usually means many trees.
To apply, download the application from the City's page. The City lists its Urban Forester, Ryan Bass, at (830) 331-9707, and City Hall at 447 N. Main St.
Help from Texas A&M Forest Service
Boerne is in Texas A&M Forest Service's Kerrville region, which covers Kendall County and the surrounding Hill Country counties. Their forester can give landowners free technical advice. Contact details are on the TexasOakWilt.org forester contacts page.
State cost-share
Texas A&M Forest Service runs the federal Texas Oak Wilt Suppression Program, available since 1988 across Central Texas. It can pay up to 50% of approved costs for root-barrier trenching (up to $5,000 per landowner per year, or $7,500 for multi-landowner projects), for pushing/roguing trees inside the trench (up to $5,000), and for removing certain diseased red oaks (up to $2,000). It doesn't cover fungicide injection. A forester must confirm the disease and your application must be approved before work starts. Source: Texas Oak Wilt Cost-Share (Texas A&M Forest Service).
Local resources
- Kendall County AgriLife Extension
- City of Boerne Oak Wilt Incentive Program
- Texas A&M (AgriLife / Forest Service): Identify and Manage Oak Wilt
What to do if you're worried
Stop any oak pruning, especially Feb–June. Take photos and get a diagnosis. See what to do if your oak is dying and how to spot oak wilt.