According to KMUD News Coordinator, Cyntia Elkins:       
"Sudden oak death was discovered for the first time in the Mattole River last year, and it has now been detected in an additional tributary of the watershed.  Scientists conducted water samples in the watershed earlier this year.  It was found in the mainstem at Whitethorn and Mattole Canyon Creek last year.  Results this year show it is also present in Grindstone Creek, and is affecting both the east and west forks of Mattole Canyon Creek.  Stream sampling uses leaves in the water that will become infected if the pathogen is present.  It’s a way to detect sudden oak death before it can be visibly seen affecting trees.  Dr. Dave Rizzo is a professor of plant pathology at U.C. Davis.  He was on the team of people that collected the first isolates that pinned sudden oak death on phytophtora ramorum.  That was back in 2000."  

Use the player below to hear or download an interview with Professor Rizzo talking about stream monitoring efforts in the Mattole and the Van Duzen watersheds.This story was aired on KMUD Local News, Sept. 19, 2012, by Cynthia Elkins.

Additional Links:
A paper co-authored by Dr, Rizzo
SOD Management Guidelines
http://www.suddenoakdeath.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudden_oak_death

Sudden Oak Death was first reported in California around 1995 and since has spread considerably.  A two hour workshop at the Vet’s Hall in Garberville last Thursday, June 30, 2011,  focused on issues surrounding the plant disease and was presented by Yana Valachovic, Forest Advisor, and Chris Lee, Sudden Oak Death Project Coordinator, both from the UC Cooperative Extension.
Click here for the California Oak Mortality Task Force Web Page. 
And click here to visit the Sudden Oak Death Symptom Gallery.

The two-hour workshop is split into three parts for easier download. Use the players below to enjoy this interesting workshop.

Part 1: Chris Lee

~And

Part 2: Yana Valachovic-A

 Chris Lee Presenting on Sudden Oak Death, Garberville Vet's Hall, June 30, 2011

 
Shown below is recent video illustrating some of the research on Sudden Oak Death from Matteo Garbelotto's Lab at UC Berkeley.

According to information released to KMUD News:
University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) will host a workshop onThursday, June 30 to update landowners and the general public about the status of sudden oak death in southern Humboldt County. Sudden oak death is a non-native tree disease that kills tanoaks, black oaks, and certain other oak species in California, Oregon, and Europe.

The workshop, which is scheduled for 4-6 pm at the Veterans’ Hall, 483 Conger Street, Garberville, will inform southern Humboldt residents about symptom identification, how to survey for the disease on their own property, possible disease impacts on area forests, and the results of past efforts to manage the disease in the north coast. Workshop participants will have the chance to collect symptoms and bring them to the workshop to be tested by the Forest Pathology and Mycology Laboratory at UC Berkeley. Additionally, the workshop will address where the pathogen that causes sudden oak death is currently known to be in the county as well as anticipated future spread. “Since the pathogen spreads rapidly in wet spring conditions, we may see increased tanoak mortality over the next couple of years,” said Yana Valachovic, Forest Advisor at UCCE. “We want to give landowners as much knowledge as possible so that the southern Humboldt community can be proactive about monitoring the disease on their properties and considering potential options for managing the disease to limit its impact.”
               
While all are welcome, those interested in submitting samples for testing are asked to pre-register by June 23 by calling UCCE  at (707) 445-7351 or emailing Chris Lee at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   Those who pre-register will receive a sample collection kit in advance, so they can bring leaf samples to the training for identification and testing. Kits will also be available at the workshop.

UCCE is a collaboration between the University of California, Humboldt County, and the US Department of Agriculture that seeks to develop and deliver knowledge and practical information in agriculture, natural resources, and community development to improve the lives of Californians. As part of this mission, UCCE has been involved in researching and monitoring sudden oak death in the north coast since 2002.

For more information, call Chris Lee or Yana Valachovic at (707) 445-7351.