The forests of California are threatened with exotic species of insects, plants and diseases -  pests for which California 's native organisms have little defense. Discovered in 1995, Sudden Oak Death has done tremendous damage to State Park forests, killing hundreds of thousands of tanoak, coast live oak, Shreve's oak and black oak trees from Sonoma County to Big Sur. Recently, this same fungus has been found infecting the foliage of rhododendrons, native huckleberry, Pacific madrone, and California bay.

       The trees infected with Sudden Oak Death are characterized by wilted, faded brown foliage. Older leaves become pale green and within weeks turn brown. On close inspection, some varieties exude dark brown sap on the lower trunks. These dead oak trees pose a severe fire risk, especially in dense forests. But more importantly they are a loss of a valuable and treasured California resource.

       If you are in any of the affected counties (Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz or Sonoma) please take the following precautions:

      •    Do not transport soil or firewood.

       •    Avoid driving or parking vehicles in areas where they may become contaminated with soil or mud.

       •    Avoid areas of damp soil or mud when hiking, biking, or horseback riding in areas that have the disease.

       •    Before returning to an area that is free of the disease, do the best you can to remove or wash off accumulations of soil and mud from shoes, mountain bikes, pets' feet, vehicles, etc.

Information on Sudden Oak Death and the efforts of the California Oak Mortality Task Force to control it can be found on the Internet at http://www.suddenoakdeath.org.

  For information on affected State Park units, check the Internet at the California State Parks Web Site.

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