Sudden Oak Death update June 2021
You may have seen the press release regarding the newly discovered Sudden Oak Death (SOD) infestation along Hwy 101 in Port Orford. This detection is over 20 miles north of the last known detection in Curry County and is a very concerning development. Samples were analyzed to determine the strain of Sudden Oak Death and it was determined to be NA2. This is a strain of SOD that has never before been found in forests in North America. SOD is caused by the invasive pathogen Phytophthora ramorum and is not native to North America.
How can you help? SOD has caused widespread mortality of tanoak in California and Oregon’s southern Curry County. Tanoak mortality changes urban landscapes and forest ecosystems and impacts local timber and nursery industries. Learn: for more general background information, see Sudden Oak Death, Prevention, Recognitions and Restoration (note: the maps in the publication do not include the Port Orford detection) https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/em9216 Consider attending a workshop or participating in a citizen science project. Report dead and dying tanoak and suspicious symptoms on hosts (contact information below). Cooperate with Oregon’s Interagency Sudden Oak Death Program eradication treatments in high-priority areas.
Previous SOD infestations in Oregon forests were the NA1 and EU1 strains (NA1 is widespread in California and southern Curry County, the EU1 variant was found near Pistol River in 2015). Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) is working with the LeBoldus lab at OSU to learn more about the effects of the NA2 strain in forest settings. ODF plans to conduct surveys to determine the extent of the infestation, they will also obtain updated aerial imagery during the summer. Any changes to the current quarantine area will be determined by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (including opportunities for stakeholder input through public comment). In the meantime an Emergency Quarantine (3-mile buffer) was established, see the purple and black dashed circle on Figure 1. Find more information regarding the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Sudden Oak Death Program here: https://www.oregon.gov/oda/programs/PlantHealth/Pages/SODProgram.aspx
If you are planning a timber harvest in an area subject to quarantine, review the Forestry Operations within the Sudden Oak Death Quarantine in Curry County, A Guide for Landowners https://www.oregon.gov/odf/documents/forestbenefits/sod-tanoak-guide.pdf
Contact Information
For questions regarding Sudden Oak Death workshops, OSU Extension publications, citizen science projects and forest management questions contact Norma Kline, OSU Extension Forester serving Coos and Curry Counties, 541-572-5263 ext. 25294. For questions regarding Sudden Oak Death treatment areas, timber harvesting within the quarantine area as it relates to SOD or to report symptoms of Sudden Oak Death, contact Casara Nichols, 541-435-5031 or Randy Wiese, 541-294-8425, Oregon Department of Forestry Sudden Oak Death Program.