Sudden oak death

Since U.S. regulators in 2004 discovered that P. ramorum had spread nationwide to a number of hosts, proactive inspections of agricultural shipments have been shown to help reduce the risk of infestations of sudden oak death. Moreover, the USDA's APHIS specifically plans to stop the spread of SOD by continuing their public outreach program and by passing regulations on the transfer of agricultural products that might be a disease vector for P. ramorum. Indeed, in Oregon and California, the USDA has successfully regulated the stock of potential host plants at nurseries to "starve" the disease of potential plant hosts. Furthermore, when managing it in nurseries, it is important to consider that nursery personnel are often required to visit sites in the field such as greenhouses, fields, and other nurseries. Therefore, a number of biosecurity measures must be taken to ensure that SOD is not unintentionally transferred to one's nursery, including driving vehicles only on paved, concrete, or gravel areas at inspection sites in order avoid contact with soil organic matter that could pose as a potential disease vector.