Therefore, we are improving the health of trees by adding alkaline-rich minerals (ash) to the trunks and soils; and the trees themselves are better able to fight off the diseases and pests that are attacking them.

When properly nourished, even heavily diseased oaks and other trees are showing a quick and lasting response to the mineral amendments (hence the name Sudden Oak Life). This result is due to the added minerals, which neutralize the acidity and replace the lost alkaline and trace mineral nutrients. Trees use these minerals to build healthy wood and bark. Bark is much like the skin of the tree and acts as the first line of defense against disease and pests.

We are finding very good results as trees, in many cases, are showing signs of recovery in less than a year. Furthermore, trees treated more than four years ago also continue to show a positive response to the minerals. Thousands of trees have already been treated in Sonoma, Marin, Santa Cruz, and Monterey counties of California using this holistic approach to tree care.

SUDDEN OAK LIFE was created in 2005 with the mission to investigate, educate, and implement methods to solve the problem of oak mortality in California and elsewhere.

SUDDEN OAK LIFE is led by Dr. Lee Klinger, an independent scientist and oak specialist with over 20 years of experience in the fields of forest ecology, geochemistry, and earth system science at leading institutions in the US, UK, and China. Dr. Klinger has and over 50 peer-reviewed publications in the fields of ecology, botany, atmospheric chemistry, geology, geophysiology, and complexity; and has held scholarly appointments at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the University of Colorado, the University of Oxford, the University of East London, Naropa University, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.