Leaf spots on Camellia

GFC issues statewide alert for killer oak fungus

MACON, GA (May 5) - The Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) has issued a statewide alert for a potential epidemic of Sudden Oak Death (SOD) disease and urges state residents to check all ornamental plants for symptoms of the fungus that spreads the fatal disease to oaks.

   GFC officials suspect as many as 59,000 SOD infected plants were shipped last year to 80 Georgia locations from Monrovia and Hines nurseries in California and Oregon. SOD is known to infect dozens of popular ornamental plants including camellias, pieris, viburnum, rhododendrons, and lilac. Symptoms include dieback of twigs and leaf spots. Plants from the Monrovia Nursery are in green plastic pots with the name “Monrovia” printed on containers, and the Hines plants are in plain plastic containers.

   James Johnson, GFC Forest Health Coordinator, said that although the fungus is seldom fatal to ornamental plants, these plants serve as sources of disease producing spores carried by wind to infect nearby oaks that usually die in two years.

   “More than 10,000 SOD infected plants have already been identified and destroyed,” said Johnson, “but the hunt continues for the remaining 49,000 plants that could create a widespread epidemic of the disease if they are not destroyed. The month of May is a critical time for homeowners to inspect plants for symptoms.”

   If a suspected SOD plant is found, Johnson asks that a sample of stems and leaves showing symptoms be placed in a sealable plastic bag and taken to the nearest County Extension Service. All such samples will then be sent to the University of Georgia’s plant pathology clinic in Athens. If samples test SOD positive, state officials will excavate the infected source plants and incinerate them for homeowners.

   Agencies working together to prevent the spread of the disease include the Georgia Forestry Commission, Georgia Department of Agriculture, USDA Plant Protection and Quarantine, USDA Forest Service, and the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service. For further SOD information contact James Johnson at 1-800-GATREES or visit the GFC website at www.gatrees.org.