Interview with P. ramorum

The Don’t Move Firewood campaign has posted an “Interview with Sudden Oak Death Pathogen” to its website at http://www.dontmovefirewood.org/videos/interview-sudden-oak-death-pathogen.html.  In the humorous video, Sudden Oak Death and a talk show host have an informative “talk” about what plants are affected, how to prevent the spread, and more. The video was developed by the Don’t Move Firewood campaign, along with assistance from the COMTF and funding from the USDA FS Pacific Southwest Research Station.

From the December COMTF newsletter

Two treatments for P. ramorum infested nursery soil

Research at the National Ornamental Research Site at Dominican University of California (NORS-DUC) has provided two Green technology P. ramorum soil remediation deliverables that have been approved by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on a case by case basis for use in destroying P. ramorum in the soil substrate at contaminated nurseries.  Both technologies (steaming and the use of a biological control agent) have been successfully tested at a contaminated retail nursery and a contaminated wholesale nursery (ships interstate) in CA.  Follow-up sampling for the pathogen at both nurseries was negative, allowing each site to be released from the P. ramorum federal quarantine.

Technology transfer of these NORS-DUC successes to a wider national nursery audience is underway in a proposed multi-state Farm Bill proposal spearheaded by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Washington State Department of Agriculture, WA State University and CA Department of Food and Agriculture.

From the December COMTF newsletter

Research - it's kid stuff

A citizen science project involving middle school students:

Bias in ecology and climate studies? How leaves shrink as they dry out is often overlooked

These kinds of projects get the public involved and provide them with a better understanding of the issues, in our case, surrounding SOD and P. ramorum.

UC: Buying local firewood helps prevent spread of pests

There is plenty of firewood left from last years ice storm in western WA. Remember to burn it where you buy it.

DAVIS, Calif. - University farm advisors here are urging consumers to use local firewood this winter to avoid moving pests and plant diseases into and around California.

Article from Capital Press

Ash Dieback in UK

This is not P. ramorum, but a new strain of an invasive fungal disease in the UK that is having a serious impact on a native tree species.

Ash dieback: Government faces possible legal action
A nursery forced to destroy 50,000 ash trees after a fungal disease was found is considering taking legal action against the government for failing to block imports sooner.

Read the article on BBC News

Nursery update

To date in 2012, the US has had 32 P. ramorum-positive nurseries in seven states (CA-6; OR-11; WA-10; NC-1; ME-1; NY-2; PA-1) as well as 4 positive residential/ landscape detections (CA, OR, WA, ME). Positive plants included: Rhododendron (51%); Camellia (13%); Viburnum (11%); Pieris (7%); Kalmia (3%); Gaultheria (4%); Loropetalum (3%); Magnolia (3%); Hamamelis (2%); Cornus (1%); Prunus (1%); and Trachelospermum (1%). Seventeen of the positive nurseries are interstate shippers (CA-2; OR-7; WA-7; NY-1) and 15 are retail facilities (CA-4; OR-4; WA-3; NC-1; ME-1; NY-1; PA-1). Collection ponds were positive at 2 retail nurseries (WA, NY) and 3 that ship interstate (2-WA, 1-NY). Soil was positive at 1 retail nursery (CA), 2 interstate shipping nurseries (CA, OR), and 1 landscape site (WA). Ten interstate trace-forward investigations were conducted this year: three with potentially infected plants shipped to 24-30 states and seven with potentially infected plants shipped to 1 to 3 states. As a result, P. ramorum was detected at retail nurseries in ME and PA that were shipped from OR, and from three residential/landscape sites in OR, WA, and ME that originated in WA. Confirmed Nursery and/or Residential Protocols are being implemented at all locations.

From September 2012 COMTF newsletter

Water treatment research at WSU

The Chastagner lab at Washington State University, Puyallup plans to develop a biofiltration testing facility and determine the effectiveness of several techniques for removing P. ramorum inoculum from water. Methods similar to those being used for remediating stormwater are being considered for removing pathogen inoculum from nursery runoff and will have the added advantage of removing pollutants. These methods will consist of biofilters using various organic substrates, constructed wetlands or rain gardens, and physical methods such as sand filtration or sedimentation. Pilot biofiltration systems will be installed at selected P. ramorum-positive nurseries in Washington and be part of a training program for nursery managers. A Best Management Practices workshop will also be held for nursery managers regarding the installation and maintenance of cost-effective biofiltration systems for removal of Phytophthora inoculum in water. Funding for the project has been made possible by the Farm Bill and the Washington State Department of Agriculture Nursery Research Program.

From Sept. 2012 COMTF newsletter

Questions? Comments? Email Marianne Elliott