Citizen science charts horse chestnut tree pest spread

A citizen science study, involving more than 3,500 people, has revealed the spread and establishment of the horse chestnut leaf-miner in the UK.

It also suggests that a native species of wasp that preys on the tiny insect will not be able to curb its impact.

Read the article on BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25878202

USDA revises sudden oak death regulations

The USDA is revising its sudden oak death quarantine regulations for shipment of nursery stock in a way that reduces the burden on nurseries that pose a minimal risk and focuses resources on high-risk nurseries.
- See more at: http://www.capitalpress.com/article/20140114/ARTICLE/140119922/1318#sthash.MHu4tiZ2.dpuf

Read the text of the regulation here:

The USDA has revised its rules on sudden oak death to level the playing field for the nursery industry.

iPhone app for diagnosing tree problems

Purdue University has a set of apps for the iPhone to diagnose insect and disease problems (including P. ramorum) on trees and ornamental plants.  Android versions are under development.

Check it out:

https://www.purdueplantdoctor.com/

Soil solarization - a method for removing P. ramorum from infested soil

Soil solarization under the test conditions in CA appears to offer an effective means of eliminating P. ramorum from at least the upper layers (top 15 cm) of the soil profile, where most of the naturally occurring inoculum is located.  Efforts are underway to model the survival of P. ramorum in relation to soil temperature and moisture.  Additional research in 2013 is aimed at understanding how to maximize the effectiveness of solarization in killing soilborne Phytophthora species in CA, OR, and WA, and to determine how the presence of crushed rock on the soil surface affects soil heating. Commercial nurseries in CA, OR, and WA interested in participating in 2013 solarization trials are encouraged to contact Jennifer.Parke@oregonstate.edu for further information.

Read more here - COMTF June 2013 newsletter.

Seattle Science Festival

Kids of all ages learned about P. ramorum and other invasive species at the Seattle Science Festival on June 8.

Here are some photos from the event.

Thanks to the Sentinel Plant Network for providing information. Check out their Plant Heroes website here.

Citizen Science helps track SOD in California

Citizen Scientists Key to Halting Sudden Oak Death (Op-Ed)

Matteo Garbelotto, University of California, Berkeley
"After spending over 50 percent of my time since 2006 working with volunteers on large projects, it is my opinion that in a funding-limited world, one of the best ways to move basic science forward is to work closely with the invaluable resource volunteers provide.  We should not only employ them to report or count organisms, but also treat them as peers and build strong cooperative efforts in which tasks are properly shared between professional and volunteer researchers."

Read the article here:

http://www.livescience.com/37207-sudden-oak-death.html

New website

The WA SOD website has moved to a new server and we will be working on updates to the site now. If you see any pages with broken links or other problems, please let us know. Email melliott2@wsu.edu.