Sudden Oak Death Confirmed In Golden Gate Park - SF Chronicle

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"The first appearance in San Francisco of the killer botanical disease called sudden oak death was confirmed Thursday after two coast live oaks growing in Golden Gate Park's AIDS Memorial Grove were found to be infected, making San Francisco the 14th affected county in the state.

The disease has killed tens of thousands of California's oak trees, primarily along the coast. The presence of the pathogen that causes it -- Phytophthora ramorum -- now subjects San Francisco to state and federal quarantine guidelines regulating myriad businesses that transport wood, trees or plants across county lines, including firewood dealers, waste haulers, arborists and landscapers, said Katie Palmieri, spokeswoman for the California Oak Mortality Task Force.

The area of the park where sudden oak death was discovered was set aside in 1989 in honor of people whose lives were affected by AIDS, and in 1996, was declared by Congress to be the first AIDS memorial in the country.

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For now, park officials are studying their next move and surveying the area to get a handle on how extensive the problem is, Palmieri said. They also will be trying to educate parkgoers in order to try to stop the spread of the disease. "They'll be teaching the public the importance of leaving material at the location -- don't take leaves home, clean off your shoes, your bike tires, your pets' paws -- so you don't accidentally spread the disease to another portion of the park or take it home," Palmieri said."

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http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/08/20/BAGTT8B1DS1.DTL