Scientists to speak on sudden oak death Nov. 9 in Cambria
A panel of scientists will be in Cambria on Wednesday, Nov. 9, to tell residents of San Luis Obispo County about local infestations of sudden oak death and what they could mean for area forests already beset by drought, insect invasions and other infestations.
The informational meeting is set for 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Veterans Memorial Building, 1000 Main St., Cambria.
A recent UC Berkeley study confirmed that sudden oak death (SOD) has been found in some bay laurel trees along Santa Rosa Creek.
Fear of SOD is great in Cambria, where the native forest of Monterey pines has been hit especially hard by such fungal infections as pitch canker, by bark beetles and other elements, including advanced age for many of the pines.
The landmark 3,400-acre pine forest also includes many oak trees and bay laurels, both of which are susceptible to SOD.
According to www.suddenoakdeath.org, the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum (which is known to cause SOD) has had devastating effects on forests in California and Oregon. Since the mid-1990s, SOD has killed millions of tanoak trees and several other oak tree species (coast live oak, California black oak, Shreve oak and canyon live oak), and caused twig and foliar diseases in numerous other plant species, including California bay laurel, Douglas fir and coast redwood.
According to Mary Bianchi, county director and horticulture adviser for the UC Cooperative Extension in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, the Cambria meeting will address results of the Berkeley study and other research, and the discovery of sudden oak death in bay laurel trees in this county.
“It’s also important for homeowners and landowners to understand how sudden oak death develops in the landscape and what the implications are for fire severity,” Bianchi wrote by email. “Finally, there are important management steps that can be taken during the upcoming winter and spring to help manage sudden oak death.”
At the meeting, one crucial discussion topic will be “What can I do next” and how residents can be involved in ongoing forest studies, dubbed the “SOD Blitz.”
Panel participants are from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Cal Fire’s forest health and forest pest divisions, the UC Cooperative Extension and the California Native Plant Society.
Chipping
Cambrians should sign up now if they want to avail themselves of a free chipping service Dec. 1 and 2 that will help them deal with woody debris and tree limbs of a certain size on their property.
There’s a cap on how many locations chipping teams can handle in the two days, so if you’re interested, get the sign-up sheet soon and return it in person to the Cambria Fire station at 2850 Burton Drive.
Sign-up sheets are at the fire station, Cambria Community Services District office at 1316 Tamsen Drive, the library at 1043 Main St., Cookie Crock Market and other locations.
Details: 805-927-6240.
This story was originally published November 2, 2016 at 10:28 AM with the headline "Scientists to speak on sudden oak death Nov. 9 in Cambria."