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CURRY COUNTY Sudden Oak Death disease on the march in Oregon Comment By Jane Stebbins Curry Coastal Pilot MailTribune.com By Jane Stebbins Curry Coastal Pilot Posted May. 31, 2016 at 2:00 AM By Jane Stebbins Curry Coastal Pilot Posted May. 31, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Social News BROOKINGS — A Curry County commissioner has returned from Salem with a pledge from the state Legislature's Emergency Board for $250,000 to fight the steady march of Sudden Oak Death in the county. The money is for the new state Sudden Oak Death (SOD) Task Force, which will convene soon to plan an attack to keep the pathogen at bay — or preferably eradicate it from the county altogether. SOD has reached epidemic proportions in Curry County and if left unchecked, could ultimately hit the financially hard-strapped county with even worse economic woes for growers — from trees to cranberries — unable to ship their product out of the area. About $100,000 of the state money would be dedicated to the Oregon Department of Forestry for treatment within the quarantine area, Commissioner David Brock Smith said. Another $100,000 will be dedicated to attack it from outside the zone. The remainder, a $50,000 block grant, will be used by the Association of Oregon Counties to manage the task force, convene local stakeholders, discuss treatment methods and possible federal grants for additional funding. Sudden Oak Death is caused by a pathogen called P. ramorum, which primarily attacks tanoaks, but increasingly Douglas fir and other iconic state flora. In 2001, an estimated 9 miles of land in Curry County was infected with SOD; since then, it has grown to 515 square miles. The quarantine area now extends from Gold Beach and about 13 miles east along the Rogue River, dog-legging south and east to the California border at a point about two-thirds of the way to the Josephine County line and west to the coast. An area within it, comprising much of the Brookings area, is considered generally infested and is not being actively treated. If the pathogen escapes the confines of the quarantine area, it could spell economic disaster for Curry County and possibly the state, Smith said. “It has the potential of closing down the Port of Coos Bay,” he said, referring to countries that won’t accept logs and other items that originate in SOD-infected areas. “All the nursery industries, the lily bulbs, would be devastated.” The urgency comes after news that SOD in California, which has been fighting the pathogen since 1995, has grown so big and is spreading too fast to eradicate statewide, according to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. More than 163,700 square miles of land are infected in the northern part of the state. “At this point, we’re going to have to learn to live with it, and try to slow its spread with local management efforts and lots of experimenting,” said UC Davis ecologist Richard Cobb. Oregon has invested $3 million, and the federal government $14 million, since 2001 in attempts to eradicate the pathogen. Work generally involves finding host trees‚ usually using spore traps in waterways and tracing them back upstream — and cutting and burning down those infected trees. The only way to completely eradicate SOD, however, would be to clearcut an estimated 3-mile buffer around the quarantine area to prevent its spread. According to the National Academy of Sciences study, the only effective treatment is the removal of host species — trees. Another concern is that SOD isn’t tan oak-specific. Studies of dying trees have shown it is breaking new ground in Douglas fir forests — and drought weakens the trees, making them more susceptible to all disease. “When it comes to the arrival of new diseases, our computer modeling conveys a powerful message,” said UC Davis ecologist David Rizzo. “Jump in with both feet, or face the consequences later on.” By Jane Stebbins Curry Coastal Pilot MailTribune.com By Jane Stebbins Curry Coastal Pilot Posted May. 31, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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