By Norma Kline, OSU Forestry Agent, Coos and Curry Counties
If you have read news articles about Sudden Oak Death (SOD) in southern Oregon’s Curry County you may be concerned that trees on your property are at risk for infection. Sudden Oak Death has killed hundreds of thousands of tanoak since it was first detected near Brookings in 2001. Why has Sudden Oak Death been so damaging to our native ecosystems? Sudden Oak Death is caused by an introduced (non-native) pathogen called Phytophthora ramorum. Phytophthora ramorum is an internationally quarantined pathogen first described in California in the mid-1990’s and remains a serious threat to forest and nursery industries. Oregon’s interagency Sudden Oak Death program actively surveys and treats infestations at the leading edge of the disease.
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