Sudden Oak Life

Welcome to Sudden Oak Life! Let me guess, you're here because you've found some sick or dying oak trees that are in serious need of help. Perhaps you've seen that some of the trees are bleeding, or have a bark beetle infestation or a root collar fungus. Or perhaps you've noticed that the trees have fewer leaves, or that the top of the trees are dying. Maybe the branches seem to be breaking all too often.

The problems you are seeing in the oaks and other trees is a phenomenon known all too well by forest scientists. We refer to it as "novel forest decline" and it has been recorded in nearly every forested region of the world. It is considered a global syndrome that affects mainly older forests in moist acidic environments, manifesting through a combination of soil nutrient imbalances, increased susceptibility to drought, and often, though not always, attacks by disease and pests. Excess soil acidity derived from natural sources and/or pollution is thought by many to be the key factor that underlies most of the decline symptoms. Based on these findings, many forests across Europe have been treated with lime-rich minerals in successful efforts to stop the decline in key areas (e.g., the Black Forest in Bavaria).

In my 20+ years of researching forest decline I have found that wherever there are dying trees, there are also found a group of specialists (usually pathologists or entomologists) who insist that a particular pathogen or insect is the "cause" of the decline in a given region. Their view is called the "disease model", which focuses on understanding the biology and ecology of the problematic organism in an attempt to find ways to inhibit its actions. Not surprisingly, the decline of oaks and other trees here in central and northern California has been declared by these specialists to be caused by a single pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum (Sudden Oak Death).

Sudden Oak Life is a movement to put forth a more global, systems approach in understanding and solving the tree decline problem here in California and elsewhere. By recognizing that, while disease or insects may be finishing off many of the trees, the greater problem is "novel forest decline", here linked to fire suppression and subsequent soil acidification and mineral depletion, which weakens and sickens the trees first. Thus, our efforts to solve the problem focus on boosting the fertility of the soils with natural, mineral-rich fertilizers so that the trees are healthier and better able to survive attacks by diseases and pests. In the case of Sudden Oak Death, we are seeing most of the infected oaks respond very well to the soil mineral fertilizers and limewash. You can see the results for yourself above and on the PHOTOGRAPHS page.

There are hundreds more before-and-after pictures showing that sick trees are consistently responding well to mineral treatments. I encourage you to explore the information on the following web pages. And if it makes any kind of sense, then I urge you to take action now to help your trees. Doing nothing is NOT an option if we want to save our oaks. Please contact me for more information or questions.

Sincerely,

Lee Klinger, MA PhD

info@suddenoaklife.org

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