Video - using steam to treat soils infested with P. ramorum

On youtube - an interview with Rick Bostock, UC Davis, on steam treatment of soils

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQYrB4PNK4Q

New Article

The August 2012 IUFRO Pathology Newsletter featured the article “Communicating Forest Pathology Issues to a Broad Audience”.  The story discusses how forest diseases caused by Phytophthoras have become increasingly visible to the general public as trees within recreational areas have succumbed to disease.  Sudden Oak Death (California), kauri dieback (New Zealand), and P. cinnamomi (Australia) are cited as three examples of devastating disease involving Phytophthoras that have had good coordination among scientists and different levels of government, resulting in effective research programs and communications strategies being put in place to help understand each problem and raise public awareness in an attempt to reduce pathogen spread.

From August COMTF newsletter.

Read the rest of the newsletter to learn more about forest diseases worldwide.

Oregon nursery updates

To date this year, the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) confirmed 11 P. ramorum-positive nurseries in Clackamas, Curry, Lane, Lincoln, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, and Washington Counties.  Infected plants have included Camellia japonica; C. japonica ‘Grand Prix’ and ‘Mrs. Tingley;’ Hamamelis virginiana; Kalmia latifolia; Pieris sp.; P. japonica; Rhododendron cultivars ‘Baden Baden,’ ‘Bessie Howell,’ ‘Black Sport,’ ‘Holden,’ and ‘Maximum Roseum;’ Rhododendron sp.; Viburnum sp.; V. davidii; and V. tinus.  The Confirmed Nursery Protocol is underway at all 11 nurseries.

The positive plants found in the Curry County nursery (now closed for business) were infected with the EU1 lineage.  No infected plants were found at the nursery during inspection last year; however, 13 infected plants were found this year.  This is the first report of the EU1 lineage in Curry County.  ODA has implemented a voluntary recall for all potentially infected plants sold from the nursery.  Follow-up inspections have been negative for the pathogen; ongoing monitoring is still underway.

P. ramorum was also detected at a private residence in Lane County (Oregon) based on trace-forward information received from USDA APHIS.  The pathogen was detected infecting Gaultheria shallon and G. procumbens plants that had been imported from Washington and were still in their containers.  The USDA Confirmed Residential Protocol has been implemented.  For more information, contact Nancy Osterbauer at nosterbauer@oda.state.or.us.

From August COMTF newsletter.

New P. ramorum area in Curry County

A new Phytophthora ramorum outbreak has been identified on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest 10 miles east of Brookings, OR.  The site is ½ mile east of the current quarantine boundary; therefore, an emergency quarantine was put into effect, bringing Oregon’s Sudden Oak Death (SOD) quarantine area to 229 square miles.  The outbreak was found when two dead tanoaks were identified in the Wheeler Creek drainage near Chimney Camp during April aerial surveys conducted by the Oregon Department of Forestry and the USDA Forest Service.  Subsequent ground surveys in the area identified 16 trees that are culture-positive for P. ramorum.  A hiking trail close to the site has been closed to the public since early June while officials work to eradicate the infestation.  Approximately 50 acres are being treated.

From August COMTF newsletter.