Conditions 10 years after sudden oak death suppression treatments in Humboldt County, California

Abstract

In 2006, three isolated sudden oak death- (SOD) infested locations within Humboldt County were selected for silvicultural treatments that targeted the removal and/or reduction of tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus Hook. & Arn.) and California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica Hook. & Arn), the main hosts supporting sporulation of Phytophthora ramorum (Valachovic and others 2010). In these treatment areas, subsequent rates of infection on re-sprouting tanoak and bay laurel varied widely, but were very low where bay laurel was either absent or in low densities at the time of treatment. Additionally, infection rates were substantially lower in treated areas than in adjacent untreated ones (Valachovic and others 2013b). Ten years after the completion of these treatments, we examined some of the other effects at the treatment sites (fig. 1), particularly effects on fuel loading, tree regeneration, and shrub establishment (fig. 2), and reflect upon lessons learned.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the sudden oak death sixth science symposium

Citation

Valachovic, Yana; Cobb, Richard; Twieg, Brendan. 2017. Conditions 10 years after sudden oak death suppression treatments in Humboldt County, California. In: Frankel, Susan J.; Harrell, Katharine M., tech. coords. 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: 15-18.