Shumard Oak should be a good choice for an oak. The wilt is reported to spread by root and insect infestation. Shumards don't seem to be as affected by it as Live Oaks. Another good oak choice would be a Bur Oak. Better Wilt and drought resistance than Shumard or Live Oak. However they do not have the pretty fall red color that the Shumards have. Just a note on Cedar Elms : Their name comes from the fact that they are frequently found growing with Ashe Juniper (cedar). DED has had little affect on the elm tree population in Texas. Cedar Elms are very dependable/ adaptable trees and will last for 70-100 yrs or so. Disease and drought resistant, they are also one of the few trees down here to reliable produce a muted fall color. They are an excellent choice for landscaping down here.

Ditto. Two more things. First, the floors are going to darken a bit whatever you use. Take a damp sponge and wipe a small area of the wood. That is going to be the color once the finish is applied. Second, some people advise putting one more coat of finish on if using a water based finish. Some of them have, or perhaps had, fewer solids in the liquid, so to get the same coverage, you needed an extra coat. So your floor guy may charge you a few bucks extra. But I agree with the other post - if he balks at water, and some people do just because they don't know any better, get someone else. There is NO reason not to use it. Actually 3 things. Last, water based finishes do raise the grain in the wood, much as you do if you simply wipe the wood with a damp rag. Oak especially is prone to this - I just did a floor last weekend. I used 13 kinds of wood, but interspersed a lot of oak. After the first coat, the oak was extremely rough in comparison with the other woods. So it needed a good screening to become smooth. Make sure your floor guy will do this because if he is only used to working with oil-based finishes, they are not going to do the same thing. In those cases, you generally screen, if you do, to remove dust and lint particles that settle on the finish while it dries. Anyway, it's not that big a deal and if you need to, put the finish on yourself.

And even within one species, there can be quite a bit of variation, just like the way kids from the same parents (or people in general ) may have different hair color, face shape, heights, etc. For instance, there are three red maples/Acer rubrum in my yard, and they turn different colors and drop leaves at different times: one dropped its leaves 4weeks ago, one 3 weeks ago, and one didn’t even turn color until two weeks ago, and it lost its leaves in the last few days. Similarly, even within the same species of oaks on my property, some ar bare, and some still have clinging leaves. It’s called genetic variability. So unless there are other problems you see, you can stop worrying.

(Ken, before you say it, I know: you can't kill willows and if it's alive you're doing fine, lol. ;-) ===>>>> lol .... light frost .. can cause minor damage.. that doesnt appear for days .. especially if nights are very cool .. or until a heat wave .. hence the term light.. and minor ... so a little leaf browning is NBD .... transplant shock. or stress is MINOR ... if it doesnt show up for days or weeks .. or until heat wave ... so which is the cause.. how the heck do i know ... one is leaf damage from lack of water due to interfering with the roots at planting .. and the other is leaf damage from cold ... one ting for sure.. white tissue is the easiest to harm ... all that said .. based on new growth.. the only thing that seems currently stressed is you .. take a chill pill ... as you note.. its a darn willow .. lol ... btw: i always wanted to see if i could root cuttings off one of these ... since willow generally roots easily and fast ... and since soon enough.. you will probably be beating it back with a truck ... maybe you can try to do it with some of your prunings.. just to find out ... and i doubt you can over water a willow .... other than proper watering .. and i doubt you can over water a willow .... i dont see what if anything you need to be doing.. beside the noted self medicating.. lol ... ken