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| Sudden oak death quarantine expanded on south coast | ||
| 01/16/2008 | ||
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Suggested lead A sudden oak death quarantine on the south Oregon coast is about to expand as the state continues to battle the tree-killing disease that has caused so much damage in neighboring California: Entire audio file Audio 01 Any chance of eradicating the disease from the only spot in Oregon where sudden oak death has been found in the wild requires expanding the quarantine in Curry County from roughly 26 to 162 square miles. The quarantine, combined with the cutting and burning of affected trees in the area, has been going on since 2001: HILBURN: "It has worked extremely well at keeping sudden oak death from spreading to the rest of the state. But it hasn't eliminated it. It has spread a little bit each year since then and we are continuing with the eradication." :12 audio file Audio 02 Dan Hilburn of the Oregon Department of Agriculture says additional detections of Phytophthora ramorum- the fungus that causes sudden oak death- has prompted increasing the quarantine, which is designed to keep the disease from being spread through people activity: HILBURN: "Within the quarantine area, many of the regular activities that people have done with their woodlands, they can continue to do them without change. It's when host material is transported outside the quarantined area that things will have to change now so that we are not artificially spreading it." :19 audio file Sudden oak death has left a trail of dead trees in California. It's introduction to Oregon remains a mystery. Meanwhile, eradication and surveillance will continue this year in hopes the disease will stay in check. In Salem, I'm Bruce Pokarney. Additional audio: Audio 03 HILBURN says there are sites within the quarantined area of Curry County where sudden oak death was found in past years and the affected trees were removed, but since then, no diseased trees have been seen. That's a good sign, but more needs to be done: "The process works, it is getting rid of sudden oak death in some areas. It's not perfect. It has continued to spread and there are new sites. " :10 audio file Additional audio: Audio 04 HILBURN says the quarantine and eradication project of the past several years has been successful in slowing the spread of the disease: "We haven't gotten rid of it. But also, it hasn't gotten away from us, There is still a possibility that we can get rid of it, which is remarkable. No one else in the world has ever eradicated a fungal disease like this from the wild. So the fact that we are still in the game is a remarkable achievement." :18 audio file Full story http://oregon.gov/ODA/news/080116sod.shtml |
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