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Fire officials fear thousands of trees killed by fungus could fuel worst fire season in years

By Grace Lee, Associated Press, 6/21/2001 01:32

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) A disease that has killed thousands of oaks in Northern California has fire officials worried those dead trees may become torches in the worst fire season in years.

Because they are drier than healthy trees, infected oaks are more likely to catch fire and turn into conduits for racing flames, fire prevention experts say.

When they burn, dead trees ''generate a lot of heat and make fires burn hotter and make them more difficult to control,'' said Louis Blumberg, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. ''Fires ignite more easily and the trees become fuel.''

Since it first appeared in 1995 in Mill Valley, Sudden Oak Death has killed tens of thousands of oak trees from Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, to Big Sur south of the city.

The disease is caused by a fungus belonging to the genus Phytophthora, which is related to the species that caused the 1845 potato famine in Ireland. It attacks tan oak, coastal live oak and black oak, and scientists still don't know how the disease is spread.

Sudden Oak Death is causing special fears because of the early and intense fire season expected this year. California forestry crews went to peak staffing a month earlier than usual this year because of record heat, unusual dryness and erratic winds.

''We've already seen 12 major forest fires in California by this time, when it's usually one or two,'' said Matthew Mathes, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.

A bill passed by the California Assembly would provide $4.7 million to cut the risks of Sudden Oak Death by clearing dead trees and other measures. Congress is considering a bill providing more than $70 million to research the disease and prepare for fire risks.

Sudden Oak Death has other states alarmed as well. In January, Oregon officials imposed a quarantine on oak firewood and nursery stock from California.

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001