Sudden Oak Death Update Workshop-June 30 in Garberville

According to information released to KMUD News:
University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) will host a workshop onThursday, June 30 to update landowners and the general public about the status of sudden oak death in southern Humboldt County. Sudden oak death is a non-native tree disease that kills tanoaks, black oaks, and certain other oak species in California, Oregon, and Europe.

The workshop, which is scheduled for 4-6 pm at the Veterans’ Hall, 483 Conger Street, Garberville, will inform southern Humboldt residents about symptom identification, how to survey for the disease on their own property, possible disease impacts on area forests, and the results of past efforts to manage the disease in the north coast. Workshop participants will have the chance to collect symptoms and bring them to the workshop to be tested by the Forest Pathology and Mycology Laboratory at UC Berkeley. Additionally, the workshop will address where the pathogen that causes sudden oak death is currently known to be in the county as well as anticipated future spread. “Since the pathogen spreads rapidly in wet spring conditions, we may see increased tanoak mortality over the next couple of years,” said Yana Valachovic, Forest Advisor at UCCE. “We want to give landowners as much knowledge as possible so that the southern Humboldt community can be proactive about monitoring the disease on their properties and considering potential options for managing the disease to limit its impact.”
               
While all are welcome, those interested in submitting samples for testing are asked to pre-register by June 23 by calling UCCE  at (707) 445-7351 or emailing Chris Lee at: [email protected]  Those who pre-register will receive a sample collection kit in advance, so they can bring leaf samples to the training for identification and testing. Kits will also be available at the workshop.

UCCE is a collaboration between the University of California, Humboldt County, and the US Department of Agriculture that seeks to develop and deliver knowledge and practical information in agriculture, natural resources, and community development to improve the lives of Californians. As part of this mission, UCCE has been involved in researching and monitoring sudden oak death in the north coast since 2002.

For more information, call Chris Lee or Yana Valachovic at (707) 445-7351.