Committee
Background:
The Monitoring Committee is one of six standing committees of the
California Oak
Mortality Task Force (COMTF). For more information on the other committees
(Research, Education, Management and Regulation, Funding, and Fire
Protection), please see the COMTF
committee page.
The
California Oak Mortality Task Force (COMTF) brings together
public agencies, non-profit organizations, and private interests
to address the issue of elevated levels of oak mortality. The
Task Force implements a comprehensive and unified approach
for research, management, monitoring, education and public
policy.
Committee
Objectives:
The overall objective of this monitoring program is to determine the distribution,
incidence, and impact of Sudden Oak Death and Phytophthora ramorum in the
state of California. We are interested in both the distribution of the pathogen
(as best it can be detected from leaf spots and other symptoms on all known
hosts) and the impact the pathogen has had, including an estimate of the
number of dead and symptomatic oak and tanoak trees in California. An effort
will also be made at early detection of the pathogen.
