Sudden Oak Death Discovered In Virginia

[hatrack]

STAUNTON, Va. (AP) - "Nursery owners and foresters aren't panicked, but they are keeping their eyes open. A California-born disease that quickly kills oak trees by attacking their root systems has been found in Virginia.

Sudden oak death, or phytophthora ramorum, was found in a Hampton nursery camillia and on a rhododendron at a Chesapeake nursery, said Frank Fulgham, program manager for the state Office of Plant and Pesticide Services. Both plants were found in nursery stock by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agency surveyed U.S. nurseries and discovered 148 cases in 21 states, according to the USDA Web site.

A variety of trees and shrubs can carry the disease across state lines as they are shipped from growers to consumers, including big leaf maple and Douglas fir.

Several oaks can be affected, including tan oak, canyon live oak, Shreve's oak, black oak and poison oak, said Jeff Miller, executive director of the 600-member Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association."

EDIT

http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?sid=261638&nid=25

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. linden tree

aka American basswood. Had a beautiful one that has been around forever die in a big hurry this summer. It was taken down two weeks ago. Big loss. Don't know if this was sudden oak death. Location: northern Virginia.