California Redwoods Threatened by Killer Oak Fungus CALIFORNIA?EUR??,,????'??+Governor Gray Davis requested $10 million dollars in federal funding in September to combat a deadly fungus that could harm California's coastal redwood and Douglas fir. Over the past seven years, Sudden Oak Death, a highly contagious fungus-like disease, has killed tens of thousands of oaks and tanoaks along the northern coast of the state. The recently discovered mircrobe was discovered in the redwoods of California. Scientists from the University of California at Davis and Berkeley made the announcement on September 4. "We don't really know what the long-term effects will be," stated lead researcher Matteo Garbelotto who teaches at Berkeley's College of Natural Resources. "We're still in the early stages. We're trying to understand its biology." So far the disease has only been found in sapling Douglas fir trees in Santa Cruz and Sonoma Counties. It is not yet clear how seriously the disease will impact California's coast redwood and Douglas fir trees, which are ecologically and economically vital to the state, particularly to the timber, nursery, landscape and construction industries. Sudden oak death syndrome was discovered in 1995. Its geographic origins remain unknown and it is thought by many scientists to be a foreign, invasive species. The number of identified species susceptible to the Sudden Oak Death pathogen has steadily grown since the disease was first reported in Marin County. With the addition of coast redwood and Douglas fir, there are now 17 known species worldwide susceptible to the disease. Sixteen of them are found in California, including the madrone, bay laurel and buckeye. One additional host species, viburnum, has been found only in Europe. "It seems that some species are able to tolerate the pathogen better than others," said David Rizzo, associate professor of plant pathology at UC Davis. "We see a whole range of symptoms in the field, from nasty cankers on the trunks of oaks to minor spots on the leaves of the buckeye." The discovery of sudden oak death in the redwood?EUR??,,????'??+one of California's most treasured symbols?EUR??,,????'??+hits a sensitive chord for many in the state. The majestic trees can reach heights of more than 350 feet and live to be 600 to 2,000 years old. "It may take years before we can start answering questions about the ecological impacts of the disease on coast redwood and Douglas fir," said Rizzo. This research was funded by the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station, the USDA Forest Service Forest Health Management and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.