Death in the Forest
I had an unusual experience this past week while visiting the great redwood forest at Muir Woods north of San Francisco.
I went for two mornings to walk in the forest and make some photographs as I work on a new travel book about Northern California.
By the end of the first day, I sensed that something was different in the forest. It was not as lush and green as I had remembered it. I seemed to have trouble finding a clean and uncluttered shot, without debris.
As I left at the end of the first morning, I took a closer look. I noticed that a lot of the trees in the understory, especially the tanoak trees, were actually dead. Their deadly remains were cluttering up my photos. It suddenly occurred to me to ask a ranger, "Is this the sudden oak death syndrome that I have heard so much about, but have never seen?"
The ranger confirmed, "You guessed it. Muir Woods happens to be ground zero for this new plant disease."
When I came back the second day, the full scale of the problem hit me, and I got an information sheet from the Muir Woods ranger. I also realized that I could be part of the problem, transporting the disease beyond Muir Woods. I made my photos, but they are not as lush and competitive as photos made a few years ago when the forest was healthy.
Here is what I learned:
Sudden Oak Death (SOD) is a new plant disease killing oak and tanoak trees and adversely affecting 11 additional plant species.
The disease is caused by the pathogen Phytophtora ramorum, but was given the name Sudden Oak Death becuase the trees change rapidly in appearance from green and healthy looking to brown as leaves dry up and die.
No effective treatment is now known.
SOD is now active in 12 counties in Northern CA, virtually all the counties in the greater Bay Area.
Though tanoak, black oak, and coast live oak are among the most obvious victims, there are actually 16 plants known to be affected, and this includes bay laurel, madrone, manzanita, coast redwood, toyon, and buckeye, among others.
The consequences of Sudden Oak Death include increased risk of wildfires, risk of trees falling over and endangering people and property, visual degradation of the California landscape, and impacts on wildlife dependent on the oaks.
There is a California Oak Mortality Task Force (COMTF) and an active website at
Moreover, I was part of the potential problem in spreading the oak illness. I was advised to wash soil off my shoes, car tires, and tools (such as my tripod) after walking through this infected area, Muir Woods.
One wonders if and when Sudden Oak Death will be resolved. Meanwhile, the forest has a pervasive look of death with many leafless skeletons of oak trees, especially the tanoak.
Sudden Oak Death seems to be California equivalent of the pine bark beetle infestation that is decimating the lodgepoles in the Colorado Rockies. Needles are turning from green to brown, which doesn't make for the beautiful forested slopes we are used to seeing. The Muir Woods and Stinson Beach make for a favorite excursion when we visit friends in Marin County. The woods will look diffent next time we see them.
Claire @ http://travel-babel.blogspot.com
Posted by: Claire Walter | June 19, 2008 at 11:30 PM