Sudden Oak Death — Sensible Measures in the Woods
Fungi are finally fruiting, a compelling reason to get out into the woods. Do you think about Sudden Oak Death much, other than to look at the dead trees and think “How sad”? But it’s all around us, and we have responsibilities as users of the forests and as environmentalists. What can we do to prevent spread?
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Deb
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January 1, 2009
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Humboldt tanoak mortality (from suddenoakdeath.org)
David Rust spoke about Phytopthora ramorum, the fungus causing SOD, at our September meeting. The dismaying news is that it’s virtually endemic in our woodlands, infecting seemingly healthy hosts such as Bay Laurel, a frequently encountered tree in our forests.
So what can we do to prevent spread?
Familiarize yourself with the symptoms of Sudden Oak Death on oaks and tanoaks and the leaf spot symptoms on California bay laurel, blackberry bushes, fir, chinquapin, fern, maple, manzanita, and other plants. You’ll then be able to avoid or be prepared to recover from heavily infested areas.
If possible, remove all soil from shoes, boots, tires, or other conveyances prior to leaving an infested site. If this is not feasible, stop as soon as possible and wash soil from vehicles. Use Lysol® or a bleach solution to disinfect shoes and boots after cleaning.
If you are frequently in and out of infested sites, consider committing footwear for use in that environment only. Remove and clean the footwear before leaving the area. Clean tools in a similar manner.
It’s a good idea to change clothes, bagging your old clothes before leaving the site. Wash at home.
In all cases make sure that you remove all plant material (needles and leaves) from your body,vehicles, animals, tools, or other containers before leaving the infested site. This is required under State regulations.