Officials shift approach to sudden oak death

Ten years after initiating a campaign to eradicate sudden oak death in Oregon forests, state officials are moving to Plan B. "There is more to treat now than we have resources to treat," administrator of the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Plant Division Dan Hilburn said at a recent Oregon Board of Agriculture meeting. "The program has to change. There is no way we can treat this as an eradication program." The change in strategy -- from eradication to containment -- comes at a time when the disease is spreading rapidly and funding for controlling it is shrinking. Capital Press Posted: Tuesday, September 06, 2011 10:39 AM