LEWISTON — Not even the most historic trees in Niagara County are safe from the continued presence of a fungal disease impacting trees across the border.
A 350-year-old oak tree on Lower River Road just outside of the Village of Lewiston is susceptible to the deadly disease known as oak wilt, which has no cure. To protect it from this infection, the Lewiston business Saving Oaks carried out a vaccination last week, injecting it with a specially formulated systemic fungicide and supplemental nutrients that should protect the tree for a few years.
“There are no known oak wilt infections in Niagara County, yet,” said Lee Simonson, owner of Saving Oaks. “We hope it will stay that way.”
Believed to be the oldest tree in Lewiston, it was a sapling when French Explorer Father Louis Hennepin and his crew traveled along the Niagara River in 1678. During the War of 1812, it provided shade along the trail British forces went along to burn Lewiston in 1813. Later in the 19th century, it was a marker for those traveling on the Underground Railroad, getting the nickname of the “Freedom Tree” as it was the freedom-seeker’s final stop before crossing into Canada.
Because of its age, this tree is considered a “witness tree,” standing as a living connection to the nation’s past.
The tree has been owned for the past 48 years by Jane Holt, whose property has long been defined by its commanding presence. Holt lives in a home built in 1956 that received the distinction of being named “Home of the Year” by Good Housekeeping magazine in the 1950s. It was also featured on the Niagara Falls Service League’s Tour of Homes in 1959.
“We love the tree, and it has defined and enhanced our property and neighborhood for many lifetimes,” Holt said. “It’s important that we do what we can to safeguard it.”
A massive horizontal branch fell from the tree in August 2018, significantly transforming its profile. Despite the loss, the tree’s healthy root system and canopy remained intact.
Oak wilt is a fungal infection that blocks the flow of water and nutrients from the roots to the rest of the tree, causing the leaves to fall off and killing the tree. The fungus can spread underground through connected root systems and above ground through sap-feeding beetles that carry fungal spores from infected trees to fresh wounds on healthy trees.
This disease can spread from tree to tree among red oaks, causing death in up to six months, while white oak trees can live with this for years before dying.
Niagara Falls, Ontario, had the first confirmed cases of oak wilt in Canada, reporting it in June 2023, and it has since been identified in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The state DEC has, as of October 2025, identified active oak wilt infections in Monroe, Ontario, and Yates counties.
There has been no reported evidence of spread from Ontario into New York. The DEC has installed monitoring devices in Youngstown and Niagara Falls to help detect sap beetles capable of carrying this fungus.
Simonson said the vaccination they gave should protect the tree for the next three years. If the oak wilt threat passes by that time, there is nothing more they need to do.
“We’re playing defense,” Simonson said. “We don’t want to see our local oak trees suffer the same fate that we saw with ash trees that were wiped out.”