When those strong winds struck the Augusta area on Oct. 24, I was at the Exchange Club Fairgrounds downtown preparing for a goat show and watched big tents literally lifting out of the ground.

It was a scary moment.

High winds downed trees across the area. Many of the older trees that were damaged were susceptible to the wind because of wood rot.

It's caused by several fungal organisms that grow in and on both living and dead trees under moist conditions. An infection can occur in any wound that exposes the inner wood tissue, such as improper pruning cuts, ice or wind damage, mower or weed whacker damage, insect wounds or damaged roots.

Wood rot spreads from the initial infection site to the heartwood or sapwood, causing discoloration, disintegration, and eventual decay and death. This process can take anywhere from three to more than 100 years.

You often don't know a tree has wood rot until the bigger limbs fall or the entire tree is blown down.

Symptoms of wood rot include a gradual decline in the tree's appearance, sparse foliage, dieback of twigs and branches, and eventual death of the tree.

Fungal fruiting structures such as conks and mushrooms, which are seen at the trunk base or wound site, are not good predictors of decay. They usually do not appear until the decay is well advanced, and when they do appear, it does not indicate the tree will die immediately. But it does tell you that there are problems with the tree.

Still, trees can live many years with wood rot fungi, depending on the extent of colonization, the size of the tree, the response of the tree to the wound (quick healing), the presence of antagonists to the fungus, and factors related to the general health of the tree (location, proper installation and care, etc.). Taking care of your trees and avoiding any kind of injuring is the best way to prevent wood rot from growing on them.

Everybody is interested in saving money these days. Here are some ways to save when purchasing products for the garden:

- Shop around. Prices can vary greatly from one retailer to the next. Ask about volume discounts if you're planning to buy lots of plants.

- Always check plants for insects, diseases and root problems before you buy them.

- Avoid impulse purchases. Know what you want and need before you visit the garden center or nursery.

- Beware of miracle plants and miracle potions. Be leery of too-good-to-be-true ads and spam e-mail offers.

- Buy quality seeds and check package dates. Seeds lose viability over time or when they are improperly stored.

- Buy quality tools. They'll last a lifetime and save you money in the long run. And use tools for their intended purpose. Shovels are not intended to double as pry bars for boulders.

- Check irrigation systems for leaks and be sure spray-head flow and direction are adjusted properly. You could be watering the street or your neighbor's lawn. In times of regular rainfall, turn the system off if you don't have a rain sensor.

-Test your soil to avoid wasting fertilizer and lime.

- Plant self-sowing annuals and perennials. Good re-seeders are: cosmos, poppies, four o' clocks, cleome, zinnia, larkspur, impatiens and petunias.

- Go in with your neighbors on rental equipment such as aerators and dethatchers.

- Spray for diseases and insects only after you have determined the cause of the problem and the appropriate control. Using pesticides unnecessarily or excessively not only wastes money, it kills beneficial insects and creates the potential or pesticide runoff.

Sid Mullis is director of the University of Georgia Extension Service Office for Richmond County. Call him at (706) 821-2349, or send e-mail to smullis@uga.edu.