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Sudden Oak Death
Sudden Oak Death
Context / Latest Information
Background
Symptoms of Sudden Oak Death,
(SOD) were first seen in 1993
in California, and the fungus causing the disease was described and named as
Phytophthora ramorum in 2000. SOD was originally detected in Santa Cruz, Marin
and Monterey counties in California, and has since spread to the coastal areas
north and south of San Francisco for a total of 13 counties.
In the infected areas of California, up to 80% of oaks and tanoaks have been
killed. The pathogen has also been identified in Curry County in the
southwestern corner of Oregon.
There are two forms of the disease, the Californian mating type called A2,
and a more recently identified A1 or European mating type. European scientists
have reported the occurrence of the disease in Germany, Spain, France, Poland,
Belgium, Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Nursery stock
imports from California, a small portion of Oregon and Europe are under
Canadian Plant Quarantine regulatory controls.
On March 11, 2004, the US
Department of Agriculture (USDA) informed the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) that Camellia plants infected
with SOD had been found at Monrovia
Nursery in Azusa, California. Monrovia is a major nursery operation (there is
another Monrovia nursery in California, which does not have SOD), supplying plants and plant materials
throughout the United States and Canada, and is not located within the area
regulated for SOD. Shortly after
this, it was confirmed that infected Camellias had been shipped from
Monrovia’s Azusa nursery to Canada.
The CFIA
immediately implemented emergency quarantine measures to prevent the entry of
any shipments of plants that are known to be susceptible to SOD (“host” plants) from
California. All plants from Monrovia Nursery in Azusa are prohibited from
entering Canada. All SOD host
material from California is prohibited, entry pending resolution of inspection
and testing concerns for SOD.
The CFIA also
took immediate action to prevent the spread of the disease in Canada. Camellias
that had been imported from Monrovia, Azusa were quarantined and then
destroyed. Nurseries and retail garden centres that imported and/or received
plant material from Monrovia, Azusa had samples taken to conduct laboratory
tests for SOD. Test results showed
that plants in several BC retail
garden centres were infected with SOD. The CFIA then held all SOD host plants in these garden centres for
surveillance (regardless of the origin of the plants), and any plants testing
positive for SOD, and any adjacent
host plants, were also destroyed.
To allow Canadian importers access to non-infested plant materials, the
CFIA has been
working closely with the USDA and Plant Protection
officials in Europe to develop certification strategies that
would permit the movement of SOD
host species to Canada following a rigorous verification that the material
is produced in a pest-free production site.
Latest Information - July 2, 2004
Following the discovery that Camellias infected with Sudden Oak Death had
been imported from Monrovia Nursery in Azusa, California, and sold to the
public in British Columbia, a public recall was conducted by the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the BC Landscape & Nursery Association (BCLNA).
The recall, which lasted from April 20 to June 4, 2004, was intended to remove
any Camellia plants that may have been infected with SOD from private properties, to prevent the spread
of SOD into the urban or natural
environment.
During the recall, people who bought Camellias that were imported from
Monrovia Nursery between September 1, 2003, and April 2004 were asked to call a
Camellia “hotline” operated by the CFIA. Collection staff hired by the
BCLNA were
sent to the homes of people who owned potentially infected Camellias, to remove
them in a manner that would prevent spreading of the disease. (Any BC resident who suspects that they may have
a Camellia from Monrovia Nursery should contact the CFIA. For more information, see the
Request
for Public Assistance.)
The recall was very successful, with over 1,000 calls to the hotline from
people who had bought Monrovia Camellias, and over 1,400 plants picked up by
the BCLNA. All of
the Camellias picked up were removed, sampled, and double-bagged for disposal
in a designated landfill. The CFIA is in the process of
completing testing of the Camellias picked up during the recall. As of July 2,
ten Camellias, recovered from nine properties, have tested positive for
SOD. Testing will be completed
soon, and it is expected that several more infected Camellias may be found.
The CFIA is now
following up on the Camellias that tested positive for SOD. The people who owned the infected plants have
been contacted by a CFIA representative. In each
location where an infected Camellia was planted outdoors, all host plants
within a four-metre radius will be removed, sampled, and destroyed. A survey
will be conducted within a 10-metre radius around the four-metre zone, and any
host plants in this area will be sampled. The samples from both zones will be
tested and, if any tests are positive for SOD, the process will be repeated.
In any cases where Camellias were planted close to property lines, the
four-metre removal area will extend into neighbouring properties. This means
that plants may have to be removed from properties belonging to people who did
not have any Camellias and therefore did not participate in the recall. The
CFIA is contacting
the owners before any actions are taken on these properties.
There are no provisions for any monetary compensation for any plants that
are removed during this follow-up operation. However, the BC Landscape & Nursery Association and its
members have generously volunteered to help people whose plants are removed by
the CFIA to
re-establish their gardens.
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