The city will pick up large brush and limbs next week. Have items at the curb by 6:30 a.m. Oct. 3 (though pickup might take a few days), and observe these city rules:

• Stack unbound brush no more than 4 feet high and in one row less than 15 feet along the curb.
• Place the cut ends toward the curb.
• Brush must be at least 5 feet away from your garbage cart or other obstacle.
• Cut trunks that are 3 to 8 inches in diameter to lengths no longer than 6 feet.
• Cut trunks that are over 8 inches in diameter to lengths no longer than 3 feet.

Do not:

• Set out bulky items, bamboo or any vegetation with thorns;
• Block your mailbox or cover your water meter;
• Stack or lean brush against a fence, telephone connection box or under low-hanging limbs or wires.

A word about oak wilt: Fall is a risky time to prune oak trees. Oak wilt is a lethal fungal disease that is spread by nitidulid beetles, which are attracted to fresh wounds on trees, such as cuts or broken limbs. It is also spread by roots to nearby oaks. Oak wilt is active very close to our neighborhood, and has devastated trees in parts of Travis Heights. That means oaks in our neighborhood are at risk of being exposed to the disease.

To be safe, only prune oaks in the hottest summer months and the coldest winter months, and cover wounds immediately with tree paint. To learn more, consult an arborist or go to the website of the Texas Oak Wilt Information Partnership.

City tree trimming: Austin will cut back its tree trimming budget for 2011-12, even though trees are drought-stressed and experts believe that trees falling on power lines might have caused Bastrop’s 35,000-acre wildfire. See the Sept. 26 Statesman story here.