Sudden Oak Death Surveys: 2005 - 2007

Since 1995, large numbers of oaks and tanoaks have been dying in California. Since then, many other types of plants have been found to be infected or associated with this disease, referred to as sudden oak death, ramorum leaf blight or ramorum dieback, or by regulation as Phytophthora ramorum. Since April 2004, the disease has been confirmed in  numerous West Coast counties. 

Kentucky has been identified as a high risk area for sudden oak death because of the extensive oak forests within the state.  This could have a severe effect on an economy that depends on the revenue generated from the sale of logs and wood products.  Detections in nurseries that ship widely throughout the United States have increased concerns that this disease could appear in other U.S. nurseries and hence move to susceptible species in the surrounding environment. To address these concerns and because of the potential and documented movement of the disease on nursery stock, we surveyed nurseries in Kentucky for the presence of sudden oak death (Phytophthora ramorum) as part of a national survey for this disease.

High risk genera (Camellia, Rhododendron (excluding azaleas), Viburnum, Pieris, Kalmia, and Syringa (lilac)) were examined for symptoms such as foliar blight and shoot dieback.  Samples taken from suspicious plants were processed at the University of Kentucky Plant Pathology Diagnostic Laboratory in Lexington, KY.

2005                                                               

  • Number of Nurseries Surveyed: 99
  • Number of Counties Surveyed: 39
  • Number of Positive Samples: 0
  • Counties Involved in the Survey: Barren, Boone, Boyd, Boyle, Breathitt, Butler, Calloway, Campbell, Christian, Clark, Daviess, Fayette, Fleming, Franklin, Hancock, Hardin, Henderson, Hopkins, Jefferson, Jessamine, Johnson, Kenton, Laurel, Lincoln, Madison, Marshall, McCracken, Meade, Mercer, Muhlenberg, Nelson, Pulaski, Rowan, Russell, Scott, Shelby, Simpson, Taylor, Warren

2006

  • Number of Nurseries Surveyed: 21 (samples were also taken from an additional 14 nurseries)
  • Number of Counties Surveyed: 21
  • Number of Positive Samples: 0
  • Counties Involved in the Survey: Bath, Boone, Breathitt, Bullitt, Campbell, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Jefferson, Jessamine, Kenton, Laurel, Madison, Mercer, Nelson, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Whitley, Woodford

2007

  • Number of Nurseries Surveyed: 20 (samples were also taken from an additional 19 nurseries)
  • Number of Counties Surveyed: 19
  • Number of Positive Samples: 0
  • Counties Involved in the Survey: Boone, Boyd, Boyle, Breathitt, Bullitt, Campbell, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Jefferson, Johnson, Jessamine, Laurel, Nelson, Oldham, Pulaski, Scott, Shelby, Taylor