SALEM, Ore. (AP) — State and federal officials are pairing up to help private landowners in southwest Oregon battle the spread of an invasive, tree-killing disease called sudden oak death.
The Capital Press reports Tuesday that the disease was first discovered in Oregon in Curry County in 2001.
The state has since quarantined about a third of the county.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service is also requesting $500,000 to reimburse landowners who remove infected trees.
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Priority will be given to landowners in the quarantine area, which stretches from Brookings north to Gold Beach.
The disease causes bleeding cankers on the tree’s trunk and dieback of foliage, eventually killing the tree.
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Information from: Capital Press, http://www.capitalpress.com/washington