Managing sudden oak death on federal lands in southwest Oregon: triumphs and challenges
| Authors: | Ellen Michaels Goheen |
| Year: | 2017 |
| Type: | General Technical Report |
| Station: | Pacific Southwest Research Station |
| Source: | Proceedings of the sudden oak death sixth science symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. GTR-PSW-255. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station: 24. |
Abstract
Since 2001, approximately 5,350 acres of tanoak forests in Curry County, Oregon have been treated to eradicate Phytophthora ramorum and slow the spread of sudden oak death. Over 1,300 of these acres are on lands administered by the USDI Bureau of Land Management (BLM CB), Coos Bay District and the USDA Forest Service, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest (USFS RRS). Treatments include using herbicides to reduce tanoak sprouting, cutting, piling and burning known infected tanoaks, and cutting, piling, and burning exposed tanoaks and other selected hosts in a buffer area around known infected trees.
Affected sites have ranged from highly accessible and heavily used hiking trails to remote, relatively inaccessible and rugged terrain. Treatments have occurred in many different land allocations including Inventoried Roadless Area, Late Successional Reserve, and Wild and Scenic River Corridor. Over the years the BLM CB and USFS RRS have made great progress to streamline the procedural side of treating sudden oak death. The tools being used include multi-year contracts with designated contractors and programmatic consultation with federal regulatory agencies. Positions dedicated to sudden oak death management have been created and knowledgeable people are in those positions. But still, access, fire restrictions, timing of funding, and timing treatments to avoid disturbing nesting northern spotted owls and marbled murrelets pose challenges to managing sudden oak death as rapidly as possible.