A study is being published this month (April 2008) that reveals important new information about sudden oak death in California. Sudden oak death was first discovered in the state in 1994, and scientists estimate that it has killed more than a million trees so far. The new study was able to determine where the first infestations of sudden oak death occurred in California, which was Mount Tamapais and Santa Cruz. The study also discovered that the pathogen that causes sudden oak death is mutating at a much more rapid pace than previously believed. Dr. Matteo Garbeloto is a forest pathologist for the University of California and one of the authors of the study. He spoke to Cynthia Elkins of KMUD news about the new information the study reveals and some of the steps that you can take to reduce the risk of spreading sudden oak death.

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