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Community Corner

Sudden Oak Death Survey

Under the auspices of UC Berkeley's Forestry Department, there will be a survey of California bay trees in our area the weekend of April 28-29 to determine the extent of Sudden Oak Death infestation in our area (AKA, SOD blitz).  Bay trees are known to be a carrier of this disease.  Participants meet on Saturday morning for instruction (probably in Orinda), then collect leaf samples at their convenience through Sunday. More information to come - and below from http://nature.berkeley.edu/garbelotto/english/sodblitz.php.

INTRODUCTION
Sudden Oak Death (SOD), a serious exotic disease, is threatening the survival of tanoak and several oak species in California. Currently SOD is found in the wildlands of 14 coastal California counties, from Monterey to Humboldt. While patchy in distribution, with each passing year, the swath of infection continues to become more contiguous. Researchers have discovered that Phytophthora ramorum, the pathogen that causes SOD, spreads most often on infected California bay laurel leaves. Symptomatic bay leaves are often the first sign that SOD has arrived at a location, and generally precedes oak infections. Some management options are available (sanitation, chemical preventative treatments, bay removal), but they are effective only if implemented before oaks and tanoaks are infected; hence, timely detection of the disease on bay laurel leaves is key for a successful proactive attempt to slow down the SOD epidemic.

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