Sudden Oak Death
What is it?
Since we posted several stories yesterday regarding crews battline Sudden Oad Death along Wollochet Drive in Gig Harbor near the former Peninsula Gardens, I decided to check with our City of Gig Harbor Arborist Dan Lilley to get the scoop on this yucky sounding stuff.
Dan says he has not seen it in the City of Gig Harbor yet, but is now doing extensive research to learn as much as he can about it. He claims his training always pointed that it was only on the East Coast, so likely it came in on an imported plant.
Symptoms vary from plant to plant and include leaf spot, needle and tip blight, shoot tip dieback, and canker formations. Sounds disgusting! Also laboratory testing is the only way to confirm the disease since other issues have the same symptoms. It's not a fungus but a unique organism called Oomycetes. Google it.
If Dan provides me any more useful info I will pass it on to all you garden and tree lovers!!
Comments
Anon | Jun. 8, 2011 at 9:05pm
The primary North American strain of Sudden Oak Death most likely originated in California - CA has lost many oak trees and tanoak to this disease. The pathogen is in forests in CA and southern OR (not contained to nurseries as it has been for the most part in all other states in which it has been detected, including on the East Coast).
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