Sudden Oak Death Alert - Update

Gail Ruhl, Senior Plant Disease Diagnostician/ Interim P&PDL Director, Purdue University

On March 8, 2004, Claude R. Knighten, Public Affairs Specialist for USDA/APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine, reported the confirmation of Phytophthora ramorum, the fungus-like causal organism of sudden oak death (SOD) disease on six varieties of camellia samples taken from Monrovia Nursery, in Azusa, California. Hosts and associated plants were destroyed.

As of July 1, 2004, 18 states have reported positive confirmations of Phytophthora ramorum, the fungus-like causal agent of Sudden Oak Death, on nursery stock originating from a large nursery in southern California. There is important news in the current update about a confirmation of P. ramorum on a mature red oak tree located in a 192 acre forested country park in Nassau County, NY. British Columbia has also confirmed the presence of P. ramorum on nursery stock shipped into Canada. On June 23, 2004, five new hosts were added to the "APHIS list of Hosts and Associated Plants." A revised host list (August 1, 2005) can be viewed here.

To prevent further spread of Phytophthora ramorum, on April 22, 2004, Richard L. Dunkle, Deputy Administrator, PPQ signed a new Amended Order Restricting Movement of Nursery Stock From California. States can still choose to enforce their own bans. An amended order and clarification of the amended order were also signed. Newly quarantined counties in California and Oregon were reported on May 17th.

Indiana established an Emergency Quarantine of California nursery stock susceptible to Sudden Oak Death on March 30, 2004. (http://www.in.gov/dnr/entomolo/programs/SOD.htm)

A list of states with restrictions for movement of host material susceptible to Sudden Oak Death from California can be found at the following link on the CDFA site.

The quarantine prohibits firms, in Indiana, that have ordered plant genera known to be susceptible to Sudden Oak Death from any California nursery, from receiving that material until the California nursery has been inspected and shown to be free from the Sudden Oak Death pathogen by the USDA APHIS PPQ or California Department of Food and Agriculture using the federal inspection protocols.

If firms have already received plant material from California which includes one of the regulated genera in the list provided, they must do two things:
1) Remove that material and any intermingled plants from sale, until the DNR can inspect the material and release it.
2) Contact the DNR at once at let them know that they have nursery stock that needs to be inspected.

For more information contact:
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology
402 West Washington Street, Room W-290
Indianapolis, IN. 46204-2739
Telephone: 1 (877) 463-6367
Telephone: 1 (317) 232-4120
Facsimile: 1 (317) 232-2649

You can also obtain additional information from
the USDA APHIS Sudden Oak Death Hotline at: 1 (888) 703-4457

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Information listed is valid only for the state of Indiana.