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COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE REVISES
RESTRICTIONS ON CALIFORNIA PLANT IMPORTS
West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass has announced
a revised Sudden Oak Death (SOD) quarantine against California and
its plant nursery industry.
"I am modifying West Virginia's current quarantine to allow
plant imports from California nurseries only after they are proven
to be free of Sudden Oak Death," said Commissioner Douglass.
"I share the concerns of California and national agricultural
officials regarding the effect our regulations have on California
nurseries and the economy of that state. However, we must protect
the economic interests of this state as well."
The new quarantine will allow shipments from California nurseries
that have tested negative for P. ramorum, the fungus-like organism
that causes SOD. Prior to shipping, any approved nursery planning
to send plants to West Virginia must also notify the West Virginia
Department of Agriculture's Plant Industries Division (WVDA-PID)
in writing of the plants being shipped, the number of plants, the
supplier of the plants, the estimated date of arrival and the destination
business and address.
"This information is important in case the inspection, sampling
and testing program fails to detect the presence of SOD in plants
moving in interstate commerce," said Dr. Charles Coffman, Director
of WVDA's Plant Industries Division (PID). "We typically don't
require that level of notice, but it will enable us to easily identify
the incoming material for further inspection, and sampling and testing
if needed, as an added precaution. If SOD were discovered in West
Virginia, those records would help significantly in dealing with
the problem."
SOD causes cankers on the trees and can kill within 2-3 years. It
was originally thought to be contained to a 10-county area in California,
but was recently discovered at two major nurseries outside that
area and that provide stock for nurseries nationwide.
"SOD has caused extensive oak mortality in California and we
fear that it could have a similar effect on the species found in
West Virginia," Dr. Coffman said. "Many people remember
the Chestnut blight that wiped out the American chestnut in the
1930s. We certainly don't want to see something like that happen
to our oaks if we have a chance to prevent it."
WVDA-PID is beginning its second year of SOD cooperative surveys
with USDA-Forest Service and USDA-APHIS-PPQ. To date, the disease
has not been detected in West Virginia.
Oak/hickory is the dominant forest type in West Virginia, occupying
71 percent of the 8.4 million acres of forest overall, and oak makes
up 33 percent of the total timber volume.
In 1995, a study by West Virginia University's Bureau of Economic
Research revealed that West Virginia's forest products industries
contributed $3.2 billion in sales annually and employed 29,383 people.
Additional Information
West Virginia Sudden Oak Death Exterior Quarantine
Contact: Buddy Davidson
Communications Officer
304/558-3708, 361-9484 (pager)
bdavidson@ag.state.wv.us
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal
and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and
consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner
of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West
Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving
agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit
www.wvagriculture.org.
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