Sudden Oak Death
Ground Surveys and Water Sampling

Many of the West Coast programs focusing on Phytophthora ramorum (Sudden Oak Death or SOD) originated from an early 1997 Evaluation Monitoring project in California, where SOD was first detected in the mid 1990's. Sudden Oak Death is a foliar and bole disease, caused by the plant pathogen, P. ramorum. SOD can have devastating effects in the wildlands it inhabits, and has had substantial impacts on the nursery industry internationally.

The USDA-FS Forest Health Protection FHM program is one of several federal agencies funding program focused on Sudden Oak Death monitoring and eradication. In 2003 FHM initiated a national protocol for ground surveys for general forest and nursery perimeters. Nursery perimeter and general forest surveys from 2003-2006 are completed.

In 2007 FHM will fund water/stream sampling in WA, OR, & CA using the national protocol:

1. Target high risk sites, either where SOD has been found, suspected, or known trace forward nurseries.

2. Target 5-10 sites (2 baiting locations each site) per state

3. Frequency: 1/month, aim for sampling 5 months if conditions warrant

4. Method: 2 bags each baiting period (to allow for bags washed away), mix together leaves & divide up

5. Culturing, with ELISA in the event of culture failure. Local labs no longer need to do PCR.

6. Retain leftover leaf material under refrigeration for contingency until (1) your culture is negative, and (2) regional lab negative also.

Biweekly survey results are submitted through the West Coast FHM Regional Coordinators for entry into a national survey database. Contact Alison Nelson, West Coast FHM Regional Coordinator, for more information.

This webpage was last updated on June 12, 2007; reformatted May 2008.

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