Sudden Oak Death (SOD) is an emergent disease caused by an exotic invasive pathogen affecting millions of oak and tanoak trees in California and Southern Oregon, and has the potential to spread to many other forests worldwide. It is currently one of the most regulated plant pathogens by most governments in the world. Besides infecting trees, the microbe that causes SOD may also be present in soil and in water bodies such as rivers, streams, and ponds.
The SODMAP project (www.sodmap.org) is a collaboration of researchers, government organizations, and citizen-scientists working together to create one of the most complete distribution maps of a forest disease ever produced in North America. The UC Berkeley Forest Pathology and Mycology Laboratory (www.matteolab.org) SODMAP Mobile app extends this functionality to include:
· Geo-location to visualize SOD distribution in relation to the users location.
· Laboratory confirmed SOD-positive, as well as, SOD-negative specimens to better illustrate the range and distribution of the disease.
· Easy to identify tree location pins.
· Risk assessment for SOD infection, based on the proximity of the user to laboratory confirmed cases of SOD.
· Quick determination of local incidence of the disease and whether data are current or not for the local area.
· Warning of insufficient surveying or a lack of current information about SOD distribution in the users area.
In case of insufficient availability of local data, the user is warned about the impossibility of determining risk and is prompted to participate in the volunteer SOD Blitz surveys (www.sodblitz.org) organized in the Spring of each year.
SOD is an infectious and deadly tree disease, but contagion to oaks occurs only at short distances from previously infected trees. Knowledge of current fine-scale distribution of the disease is the key to its timely management. Treatments are available, but must be administered preventively, before oaks are infected.
The SODMAP Mobile app is an aid to land owners and open space managers that will enable them to locate the nearest confirmed outbreaks of SOD, and to determine the risk of infection. It will also inform hikers and mountain bikers about the presence of SOD in recreational areas, indicating whether care should be given to prevent the further spread of the disease by the movement of infested soil. Finally, tree care specialists will use this SODMAP Moblie to determine the level SOD infestation and to design appropriate landscape management programs.
To learn more about SOD and get involved in the SODMAP surveys, visit www.sodblitz.org
This project made possible thanks to funding from:
USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation