Left unchecked, Sudden Oak Death syndrome could run rampant in Oregon coastal counties, costing something like $50 Million a year in lost wages in the timber industry.
That is just one of the findings in a recently published report assessing the economic impacts of SOD. Another finding: spending some money now to stop SOD could result in not spending a much greater amount of money later.
Sarah Navarro is a forest pathologist for the Oregon Department of Forestry, ODF. She visits with insights into the disease and the damage it causes to oaks and other plants.