Feds Order Inspection, Certification of All Host/Associated Nursery Plants of Sudden Oak Disease in California Outside Quarantined Areas

Washington, D.C.?EUR??,,????'??+On April 22, the USDA?EUR??,,????'???s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a six-page ?EUR??,,????'??Amended Order Restricting Movement of Nursery Stock from California Nurseries ?EUR??,,????'??to thwart the spread of "sudden oak death?EUR??,,????'?? (Phytopthera ramorum) from California to other regions of the country.

At the time of the previous order of April 9, 2004, a quarantine was in effect for 10 California counties (Alameda, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Sonoma). The new order addresses the discovery of P. ramorum in commercial nurseries in California outside the quarantined counties. As a result, Contra Costa and Humboldt counties have been added to the quarantine list. However, ?EUR??,,????'??interstate movement of host nursery stock and associated articles from all commercial nurseries in California that are outside the quarantined area?EUR??,,????'?? requires inspection and certification of all host nursery stock (and plants associated with P. ramorum). This action was deemed ?EUR??,,????'??necessary on an emergency basis to prevent the potential spread of P. ramorum to noninfested areas of the United States outside California.?EUR??,,????'??

Robert Dolibois, CAE, executive vice president of the American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANLA), judged the order a ?EUR??,,????'??significant effort by APHIS and state partners.?EUR??,,????'?? The ANLA believes the term ?EUR??,,????'??sudden oak death?EUR??,,????'?? is inaccurate and alarmist, preferring to refer to P. ramorum as "Ramorum canker and blight."

Whatever you call it, P. ramorum in the nonquarantined area of California is limited to commercially produced plants inside nurseries. In the quarantined counties in California, P. ramorum is established in the environment. The disease has not been detected in the environment outside the quarantined area, where dry climate and weather conditions are not conducive to the disease. However, irrigation and other cultural practices in nurseries located outside the quarantined area ?EUR??,,????'??may create microclimates that are hospitable to P. ramorum.?EUR??,,????'?? The APHIS is not regulating the interstate movement of any other articles from the nonquarantined portion of California because positive finds in the nonquarantined area have been limited to nursery stock.

Effective immediately, the host nursery stock and associated articles listed in Attachments I and II below may not be moved interstate from any commercial nursery in nonquarantined areas of California until the nursery has been inspected and determined that no P. ramorum infestation exists.

Amendment I Plant List (those plants that are host to P. ramorum). An asterisk indicates plants added by the April 22 order:

1. Arrowwood (a.k.a. Bodnant viburnum) (Viburnum x bodnantense)
2. Big leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum)
3. California bay laurel (a.k.a. pepperwood, Oregon myrtle) (Umbellularia californica)
4. California black oak (Quercus kelloggii)
5. California buckeye (Aesculus californica)
6. California coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica)
7. California honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula)
8. Canyon live oak (Quercus chrysolepis)*
9. Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia)
10. Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) (except wood products, including lumber, logs, and firewood)*
11. Doublefile viburnum (Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum)*
12. Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) (except wood products, including lumber, logs, and firewood)*
13. Evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) (except fruit)
14. Himalaya pieris (Pieris formosa)*
15. Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica)*
16. Japanese pieris (Pieris japonica)*
17. Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus)*
18. Madrone (Arbutus menziesii)
19. Manzanita (Arctostaphylos manzanita)
20. Pieris ?EUR??,,????'??Brouwer?EUR??,,????'???s Beauty?EUR??,,????'?? (Pieris floribunda x japonica)*
21. Pieris ?EUR??,,????'??Forest Flame?EUR??,,????'?? (Pieris formosa x japonica)*
22. Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp., including azalea)
23. Sasanqua camellia (Camellia sasanqua
24. Shreve's oak (Quercus parvula var. shrevei)
25. Tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus)
26. Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)
27. Western starflower (Trientalis latifolia)*
28. Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) (except wood products)*
29. Wood rose (Rosa gymnocarpa)*

Amendment II Plant List (29 additional plant species identified as associated with P. ramorum):

1. Burkwood viburnum (Viburnum x burkwoodii)
2. California hazelnut (Corylus cornuta)
3. Camellia (Camellia reticulata and Camellia x williamsii)
4. Cascara (Rhamnus purshiana)
5. Chinese pieris (Pieris formosa var. forrestii)
6. Chinese pieris (Pieris formosa var. forrestii x Pieris japonica)
7. David viburnum (Viburnum davidii)
8. Drooping leucothoe (Leucothoe fontanesiana)
9. European beech (Fagus sylvatica)
10. European cranberry bush viburnum (Viburnum opulus)
11. European turkey oak (Quercus cerris)
12. European yew (Taxus baccata)
13. Fragrant viburnum (Viburnum farreri (=V. fragrans))
14. Grand fir (Abies grandis)
15. Holm oak (Quercus ilex)
16. Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)
17. Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
18. Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)
19. Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
20. Northern red oak (Quercus rubra)
21. Poison oak (Toxicodendron diversiloba)
22. Prague viburnum (Viburnum x pragense)
23. Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis)
24. Southern red oak (Quercus falcata)
25. Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo)
26. Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa)
27. Viburnum eskimo (Viburnum x carlcephalum x V. utile)
28. Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum)
29. Wayfaringtree viburnum (Viburnum lantana)

Nurseries that ship host nursery stock or plants listed in Attachments I and II of this order interstate must be inspected, sampled, and tested by an APHIS, state, or county inspector for P. ramorum until the nursery is found free of P. ramorum.