An dramatic increase in sudden oak death incidence it believed to be tied to recent weather patterns.
Diseased trees were even found in Golden Gate Park, where there is no obvious source of the pathogen, such as nurseries or wildland.
"It's puzzling that we found it there because it's a totally urban environment, and I really didn't expect it. It shows how complicated and adaptable this organism is," said Matteo Garbelotto, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley. "The area doesn't have a lot of oaks, so I'm not worried about oaks there, but I'm worried about other plants being infected and, of course, people carrying it on their shoes."
Garbelotto's lab is mapping the spread of the pathogen that causes sudden oak death by plotting the test results from thousands of bay laurels and other hosts taken by citizen volunteers.
SODMAP is updated every year to help cities, counties and homeowners protect endangered oak trees.
