P. ramorum found on salal in Pierce county

From the COMTF monthly newsletter. Read more here.

A Pierce County, Washington retail nursery was found with two P. ramorum-positive Rhododendron cultivars in May and June, 2009. The nursery was also found positive in 2003 with two cultivars of Camellia, and in 2004 with 14 cultivars of Camellia and Rhododendron. Per the Confirmed Nursery Protocol, a perimeter survey was conducted and several salal (Gaultheria shallon) plants in one colony were found to be P. ramorum-positive on a bank outside the nursery on County land. Water from the infested nursery area drains into the native salal stand. APHIS is working with the County to clean up the site. APHIS is also cooperating with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, the US Forest Service, and the Washington Department of Natural Resources to further survey and bait the drainage area. This is a documented incident of P. ramorum moving out of an infested nursery and causing disease outside the nursery. For more information on Gaultheria shallon, go to the COMTF Host of the Month Archive at http://nature.berkeley.edu/comtf/html/host_of_the_month_archive.html#GaultheriaShallon. For photos and a map of salal distribution, go to the USDA Plants Profile website at http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch?keywordquery=+Gaultheria+shallon+&mode=sciname.