www.montereycountynow.com APRIL 23-29, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 Sudden oak death is not obvious, and the name is slightly misleading. The pathogen Phytophthora ramorum has troubled California biologists for decades, attacking trees from within, typically using bay trees as vectors. While it doesn’t always prove fatal, over 60 million oaks have perished. Likened to “a cancer of our forests” by researchers, the symptoms of infected trees are difficult to confirm, unless you know what to look for. What’s more troubling, in 2024, a new, more aggressive variant emerged, with the ability to spread more easily in hotter, drier conditions. “The symptoms are very generic,” says Kerri Frangioso, a staff research associate for UC Davis and Cal Poly. She has been leading what’s been dubbed a sudden oak death (SOD) “blitz” each year in Carmel Valley, where thousands of volunteers across the state collect samples to track the spread of the disease. “With this new variant, everybody’s a bit on edge. It’s much more aggressive and has great potential to spread to other ecosystems,” Frangioso says. At the end of Boronda Road in Carmel Valley, Frangioso walks through Garland Ranch Regional Park, looking for oaks in close proximity to bay trees. She joins volunteers scattered across the county April 18-21 for this year’s SOD blitz, searching for bay leaves that show signs of sickness: browned tips bordered by a black line and a yellow halo. She plucks a bay leaf from a branch, places it in a small envelope and fills out a card noting latitude and longitude, and other information which will feed a database maintained by UC Berkeley’s Garbelotto Lab. “We’ve learned so much from this data,” she says. “Citizen scientists are also so good at collecting data. There’s no way that scientists can collect all that every year on their own.” The new variant, called NA2, was discovered through such citizen scientist efforts, which have been conducted annually since 2008. It was first detected in Del Norte County in northern California, then in Santa Clara County, with last year’s blitz confirming its presence in the East Bay Area. None has been confirmed yet in Monterey County. Samples are sent to the lab for genetic testing and to build a genetic library. Once results are processed, impacted trees are mapped, allowing the public to see which trees in their neighborhoods have been impacted or are at high risk. Funding for this project, typically provided by the U.S. Forest Service, was cut last year. The project continued thanks to anonymous donors, according to lead researcher Matteo Garbelotto, who shared the update in a seminar on the 2025 SOD blitz results. “I didn’t think this project would happen this year. Individual donors really stepped in,” Garbelotto said. “Last year we had five outbreaks detected. We had to revisit those locations where the volunteers went and resample everything. All were confirmed as NA2.” Results from this year’s blitz will be made available sometime in October. Blitz 2.0 A new variant of the sudden oak death pathogen has arrived, discovered by community scientists. By Katie Rodriguez Researcher Kerri Frangioso has been leading the local SOD blitz for decades. She inspects the leaves of a bay tree in Garland Park, looking for signs of the disease. NEWS “With this new variant, everybody’s a bit on edge.” KATIE RODRIGUEZ We start the race early– with a throwback party. ...and you’re invited to get a preview of all the action. Kick off the weekend at Laguna Seca where we crown the StubHub Monterey SportsCar Champion. We take world-class racing machines off the track and into the street, so you can experience them in a way 180 mph never allows. • Raffle and Giveaways Powered by Glastonbury • Discounts on tickets for the real race • Meet the drivers • Autograph session • iHeart Radio - LIVE FREE EVENT WEDNESDAY APRIL 29 5-7 PM Tickets and camping info at WeatherTechRaceway.com
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