Sudden Oak Death Blitz

Save the extended weekend of May 5 through 8 for this citizen science event to detect the presence of Sudden Oak Death in San Luis Obispo County. Sudden Oak Death (SOD) is a serious exotic disease that is threatening the survival of tanoak and several oak species in California. Every year, the SOD scientists anxiously await the results from local SLO citizens collecting California bay leaves (the “carrier” tree) to see if this disease has reached our county yet. So far the infestation has spread as far south as Monterey County. We provide on-line training, simple survey materials and an optional cell phone application.

The SOD Blitz Survey Project (sodblitz.org) informs and educates the community about Sudden Oak Death, gets locals involved in detecting the disease, and produces detailed maps of disease distribution. Check back in April when we will provide details on sign-up, on-line training, and recommended survey locations. This is a fun and useful activity to travel rural roads or hike parks with coastal forests in SLO County by yourself or with family or friends. You get to pick your own survey time and location within the May 5-8 survey period. In the meantime, you can find more about this citizen science project at sodblitz.org