Oakwilt

[Stumper]

Oakwilt, I've read your posts with interest. Perhaps you have already done this and I missed it but how about sharing some info on the research project yoiu were involved in and what was learned about the Wilt (and vascular diseases in general?) ? I see lots of info in bits and pieces in your posts but would like to see a synopsis of the project.

 

[Reed]

A long story comin'.

What I'd like to do is just run down the the history of the disease where I've had some experience. It is an unparalleled epidemic and and it was my life for several years, recently for reasons related to the issue I've become a back-seat participant. Politics should never play a role in disease intervention but it has and because of this the destruction continues unabated - perhaps not so much for urban environments where high dollars are spent but certainly for rural areas such as where I live and work.

We're seeing reports now from over 80 Texas counties and 28 states indicating movement in spite of costly measures to control the disease, most all advocating successfull statistics in each management plan. The bizarre reality is that in spite of reported "60, 70, and even 80%" positive response rates in advocated treatment protocols, the syndrome has now become the most costly and destructive forest harwood disease epidemic in U.S. history. Go figure. I'll simply state that the propaganda from the research schools that quantify the science and promote costly treatment plans is pure industry sponsered bull???? (hogwash if that gets deleted).

It's 1:00 am and I just got home - out of town work for...oak wilt diagnosis. I have a lot to say on this topic and since you asked I feel compelled to relay it. I would like to add portions over the next few days - kind of explain what the disease is in simple terms, why American science has not hit on any appropriate treatment regimens, and what the dangers present in terms of the future with both this particular pathogen and several other important and significantly dangerous disease occurances.

I'm principally an arborist - I work on trees like we all do in our own way and employing our own methods. Oak wilt got my attention because years before it failed to interest the land grant colleges, it was an obviously threatening epidemic killing with unprecedented speed here yet when it became noticed, was mis-diagnosed, predictions of severity were downplayed, and most of the tax-funded research at the time (and continues to be so) is to promote private chemical industrial interests. If this type of academic habit were in the least bit successful in preventing or intervening in disease events, I wouldn't care but in oak wilt's case or most plant disease epidemics, it completely fails and most often makes things worse.

I equate wilt with cancer, or more exact, AIDS. Let me explain this indictment, but that's tomorrow. I'm beat, tired, and sore tonight and early I have to drive forever then climb a bit.

 

[murphy4trees]

Thanks Reed.

Are Oakwilt and Oak Mortality Syndrome, AKA Sudden Oak Death, two seperate diseases? I believe they are. Are the beetles and root grafts the only major vectors for oak wilt? Anybody know if they figured out the vector for SOD. They know the pathogen and think it may be spread through the soil or the air. Has oak wilt been reported in PA?
What is the latest on Asian Longhorned beetle?
Scary stuff... this could cause more damage than a dozen 9/11s.
God Bless,
Daniel
PS. I cut some fairly big yew from time to time...email with what you need.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

ALB is pretty isolated, luckily they do not move far from the origional host tree.

The problem is that they can come in on hardwood pallets, so anywhere Asisn containers come in they can be.

Last reported new observation was in the PNW. they came off a shippment of Bonsai trees.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/oa/alb/alb.html

SOD is a Phytophthora ramorum (sp?)
Wilt is Ceratocystis
then there is Hypox....

 

[Reed]

Are Oakwilt and Oak Mortality Syndrome, AKA Sudden Oak Death, two seperate diseases?

Yes. Wilt is a vascular inhabiting parasitic fungus.
SOD is a viral caused disease similar to anthracnose.


Are the beetles and root grafts the only major vectors for oak wilt?

No. Although studies implicating the bark beetle and common engrafted root systems concluded these two methods of infection spread, no one bothered to study further. Because then no studies exist, the schools discount any postential additional vectoring possibilities. We drew low volume air samples at 2500 and 5000 feet and isolated culture from spores floating free in the atmosphere, as well as contaminated tools, clothing, and I suspect many other insect or animal and cultural transmission possibilities.


Anybody know if they figured out the vector for SOD?

Yes. It splashes up to holds in the bark and possibly open stomata on leaf surfaces from rainwater hitting the soil and recent observations suspect hiker's and logger's boots. Again though, please keep in mind that facts are developed through testing and much testing remains to be performed.

Has oak wilt been reported in PA?

Yes.


I'd like to continue discussing wilt. There are many interesting factors in this syndrome that need to be heard including the failure of the schools to first properly diagnose then work together on developement of management plan outside and away from chemical company interests. I truely feel this epidemic could've been nipped in the butt in the early 70's reports from my area here. Alternative treatment plans included the development of a bacterial antagonist by Jennifer Juswick then at the U of MN but funding for her work was unexplainably cut. Instead millions in federal and state funds were committed to quantify research in fungistatic controls for individual high value trees, leaving the forest-fed epidemic unchecked and growing more virulent each month. I vehemently feel this epidemic could've been averted if people did their jobs based on experience and thought instead of politics and funding.

Other factors for epidemics also play a strong role in wilt's destructive habit - forests in areas previously structured as grasslands, air quality elements that predispose hardwoods for susceptability in disease events, and changes in soil biology resulting from changes in rainfall chemistry.

More coming, have to go to town and eat some New Mexico trout with some friends coming thru visiting. Later.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Phytophthora ramorum is not SOD?

 

[Stumper]

Thanks Reed. Keep it comin' at your own pace.

 

[Reed]

JPS,
Two years ago pathologists isolated a new species of the fungus-like organism killing oaks. You're correct, it's called Phytophthora ramorum. The name refers to the pathogen's tendency to cause infection on branches and is the same disease that caused the Irish Potato famine that caused millions to emmigrate to the U.S.

Contrary to popular research conclusions a crystalline viral origin can be suspected as a precursor to reactive pathology, ultimately producing fungal type of structures in reaction. With this in mind management proposals seek to address the end-stage display of disease, not the root cause. Infectious behavior can be traced to anything the sexual spores contact on, stick to, and move with. But again, this is "end stage" detective work, only micro assays can determine first the unique DNA mutation markers, then the physical structure of the disease origin, then find the weaknesses of the contagion. It's akin to treating small pox symptoms instead of addressing the infection source. No one knows yet, and most research is tied-up in observing in-vitro reactions to selected fungistats. Just like oak wilt, and just like the epidemic we now have I suspect many millions of black oak species along with rhododendron, cedars, redwoods, spruce, and firs will succumb. The stage is set and lessons from the Texas epidemic go unnoticed.

 

[Reed]

Wilt history lesson (cont.)

When die-offs began attracting landowner attention here in the late 70's and early 80's, coventional pathologists were quick to post-mortem dead specimens, as they are used to doing by the manual.

Problem was the disease being a vascular feeder, when the host died the disease did too, so what was isolated in culture were secondary infectious fungi and molds, all non-pathogenic to trees yet were labelled as the culprit so early control measures were designed to effect harmless rotting organisms. This is a key point in the history of wilt becoming an epidemic.

Arbotect was the agent of choice - injected into live trees with developing disease symptoms, it was know only as a reproductive inhibitor, not a killing agent. I was one of those arborists who they contracted for injection. I got $50 just for attending the meeting. I knew of Atect from Minnesota experience with Dutch elm, I didn't like it then, I didn't like this now. I accuse the early attempts that failed as being responsible to wilt's mutational abilities and genetics now played a role in wilt's ability to develop and grow hyphea (or little feet) that perforated thru vascular cell walls and moved around tylosis response of the tree to isolate and digest fungal presense. Many diseases had by then moved thru this area and countless live oaks had exposure and systemic responses to such - in other words, a "learned" or "acquired" immune reaction to vascular inhibiting parasites. These oaks had lived thru years of drought, dozens of other disease events, and fires to become a hardy and resistant specimen used to many obstacles. That would end quickly with both a new "modified" disease characteristic, and rapidly changing environmental factors including the industrialization of northern Mexico with high sulfur coal burning powerplants emitting intolerable levels for most of the year of sulphuric and nitric acids. We mutated wilt inadvertantly, and now we're altering the soil profiles and nutritional feeding habits of these trees. Add to that the apathy from the schools in that it wasn't an agricultural "priority" for this state.

Hmmmm.

Of course our forests are a cultural phenomena that are not all that old - this was principally a grassland until man settled here. The stage for epidemic was already set, with oaks being the largest population now.

Data from other states experienced somewhat with wilt was sent here, but ONE study that indicated wilt's inability to survive in our Summer heat spells (90+ degrees) dispelled any notion that wilt was our killing culprit. No one bothered to look at the northern side of the tree (away from the sun) or subsoil presense of this pathogen. Besides, the isolation studies were still showing Diosporii as the suspected disease. Stupid pathology. Stupid people. Again, it was all by the manual.

Next, I'll talk about the first attempts to isolate infection centers by severing common root systems - trenching.

 

[TREETX]

The TFS/TX A&M oak wilt "manual" is way too often used as a bible instead of an information resource. It is nice to see someone thinking outside the box.

Cruised throught the devastation a bit yesterday. Amazingly morbid to get on a hill west Fburg and see hundred acre centers of dead trees and bands of dead trees extending from hill to hill. Will be interesting to see what kind of regen. comes up in the completely devastated areas.

People still trenching there?? I have seen it in westlake here. I think it has dropped a bit since matching federal funds are gone.

 

[Reed]

Yes, there's a lot of trenching going on still - TXFS is calling the shots although they are a bit more quiet these days. Spells failure to me. Appel told me five years ago that 80% was the standard success rate overall. We knew then he was full of bull. We live and work here, he doesn't.

Hold on to your seat - I've even prescribed some limited trenching - but my experience comes from the old school of fire lines, remove the fuel and the fires can be steered.

On rock however.......

Extremely high value trees, outside the root zone (150+ ft) then an outer barrier, extending 350-500 ft., and removal of all susceptable hosts in between. Limited applications on that extreme measure though. The dig itself HAS to be effectively deep (up to nine feet) and a semi-permanent barrier installed before back filling. Non of these considerations are supported by the FS. The first trenchline Johnson (Jeral) and Appel (Davey) et al prescribed was cut in a triangle not four feet from the root flare base - tree fell over, again, go figure.

The returning (or rather opportunistic) flora is largely juniper, brushy Persimmon, and believe it or not, a "new" variety of hybrid oak, although certainly less in population numbers and a growth pattern I've never seen before. Also grasses are returning and some long forgotten natives like side-oats gramma, but that's only if disturbance (cows and goats) have been minor. Hurah.

I agree it takes some forethought, knowledge of conventional science that failed, and some openmindedness along with help from more proper pathology, mainly overseas where influences on outcomes are not as common (re: Dow chemical funding). In the big picture it isn't such a bad thing. There's too many oaks here but the high dollar trees, unfortunately, are dying too, and even Appel can't seem to get the award on fixin' that. They now want 30ml per dia inch on injection. That's a deadly prescription.

This morning got a call from FLa on the new statewide Citrus canker law. I see a bad moon rising, along with cancer rates and cops burning to death because Ford claims their fuel tank locations are safe. That and the recent revelation that there never has been a report on Iraq's ability to manufacture a nuclear weapon tells me things are a bit screwed-up.

Okay, gotta go get a new truck battery, check the mail, and climb.
Thank God.


Wilt

 

[murphy4trees]

Reed,
I hear you.... the truth is hard. And it's good to know.. Please keep it coming.
OK so how do I get a practical education about the dos and don't of oakwilt. I Am a chainsaw guy.. Haven't gotten into PHC much.. just a little organic fertilization.
God Bless,
Daniel

 

[Reed]

Daniel,
In light of increased susceptability to disease due to several factors such as soil chemistry changes - however slight - you're actually on the right path.

We set about 11 years ago looking at the environment these oaks were adapted to - what they successfully grew within and first tried to gauge whatever changes may have occurred over the 150-plus years they have become the principle hardwood growing in this region.

Standing back and seeing we were smack-dab in the foci of a disease epidemic, I had to travel beyond the areas of destruction out to the limits of the growing range of these particular adapted hybrids. Taking both soil and tissue analysis from the "healthy" stands and establishing a base-line level of what I determined to be normal nutritional levels, ran comparisons to levels found near here and witnessed some extreme deficiencies and major differences in both. That rang alarms that forced me to study what chemical influences may be responsible for soil levels of certain compounds to leach, bind, or disappear. Same with tissue samples within the tree - leaves, stems, and roots.

Next we gathered data from other areas of the planet that were reporting similar tree losses, disease epidemics, and studied their suspected causes. Historical losses in the United States in recent histories were the Adirondacs of the NE, pulpwood losses of eastern Canada, and most striking the Los Angeles basin but the most blatant reports came from Poland and eastern Europe, where all the correlating data pointed to the most similar factor in all regions - coal-fired powerplant and smelter emissions high in sulfur and nitric acids downwind from the disease areas.

Time to return to school. Learn about the chemical interactions in relation to soil chemistry, rainwater chemistry, runoff and point-source pollution effect. Then on to tree biology and nutritional requirements. ????, gathered a treasure chest of dire stuff. While the research schools were busy with funding earmarked for in vitro response for disease to antagonizing treatments per se, lots of information about what was actually killing AIDS patients was coming to light - learned that AIDS doesn't kill at all, but a repressed immune response does in effect by allowing any pathogen to grow unchecked. Most HIV infections eventually kill from pneumonia, rickets, and neoplasms that a functional immune system will generally manage successfully.

Chemo and radiation, often times death to the patient. Alamo and Arbotect, same thing. There's a better way but plant science in the U.S. has principally been guided by finding higher yields, more herbicide resistance, market research and stimulation, and pathogen management with attention paid to what kills a plant, not so much with what allows what kills a plant to become a virulent entity.

 

[Reed]

At this point I took some time off.

Cancer hit me. Stage 4 nonHodgkin's Lymphoma. Crap. Had to enlist in whatever was standard therapy at the time and that sucked, and also it didn't work.

Quick get on the internet and look for other stuff, like if you're sinking at sea you grab whatever floats, even a bloated dead human body. Well, that's a bit graphic. Sorry, but hey.

All this got me to think about what causes this crap - in my case I suspected forest science, since that was my past forte so I found some old buddies I worked with and to my surprise they were all dead, cancer, NHL. Jesus.

More research, more smoking guns.

Old scientists that told me not to worry I found again, they too were kind of upset, they told me the data they submitted for herbicide registration was altered, falsified, or shredded. Sweet Jesus again. (Ever wonder why I get so pissed?). On to D.C., to kick some butt and try to find some science that could perhaps help me this time instead of kill me - treatment therapy and sensible chemical management both.

What a trip.

Immune response to threats is where I went. A body's (or plant's) evolved biology to past genetic histories of exposures from everything including even fire, freeze, toxins, and venoms. In my case, economic poisons. Found very little in the shape of researchers here working on autoimmune disorders, gene therapy, or stimulating Tcell reaction to foreign invaders. The U.S. was busy advertising old treatment regimens with new names and changing the entire health care delivery system to something like WalMart's marketing Indonesian-made sweatshop underware and sneakers. Again, sweet Jeez.

Time to look elsewhere.

 

[Reed]

Desperately seeking academic information from outside of the schools who thought any attempt to treat cancers without their "approval and expertice" was fatal curiousity, I came across amongst others, Augusto Odone. This is the father of Lorenzo's oil. Keep an eye on this coming Saturday's medical news - there's going to be a NIH press conference. Scepticism and law suits and jail threats, his simple little remedy worked. He not only saved his own son, but now thousands of other children's lives.

Recalling David Appel's remarks about trenching, pathology, and why no one should do anything other than what he researched regarding oak wilt, I determined the LAST thing I was going to do would be to follow the standard American cancer treatment protocols.

Being is that our oaks were dying as fast as I was, I sort of combined the search of both problems together. When my treatments only accelerated my genotype of cancer, I quit both them and pulled the injection bottles off my trees here in the yard. No more of this crap. Screw Dr. Appel and Ciba Geigy (who happened to not only own the Alamo label at the time, they also had the patent on my chemotherpay agent - interesting, isn't it?

Looking at all this accumulating data on tree diseases, epidemics, and human cancer clusters it became interesting also that downwind from industrial sources both trees AND humans were dying in statistically significant rates. Hmmm. The amount of info available to those who seek, although now tumor registeries are being censored (war on terrorists you know), this is a problem denial won't make go away.

Sweden has a long-term program in place that redresses the problems associated with industrial fallout and lake/forest die-offs. They drive over frozen lake beds in the wintertime and dump massive volumes of lime - hoping to neutralize the low pH factors caused by acid rain. Forests get their dose in Fall, huge releases of lime powder onto the forest floor. Remarkably, this attempt showed intially to stall measurable differences in common pest events. I had to go there and talk to people, find-out what's not being done here and why. Good people those Vikings, although they eat weird stuff. They know forests, have been logging them for thousands of years and still have timber.

 

[Reed]

Those Swedes (and some attending post grad Kiwis) told me to listen better, see clearer, feel more, and think. They told me to look deeper than whatever's killing something. If you want to keep from getting shot, you can't stay alive forever by dodging bullets, ya gotta find out who's doing the shooting. I came back with some new questions and the schools I had attended didn't have any answers.

Back in the states here I was curious about the family that studied Yellowstone's grizzlies back before zoology was interested in species in native habitat. The Craigheads were blue ribbon researchers that had the patience and intelligence enough to spend time in the woods in order to deduce scientific observations based on reality. Frank senior had published begining in 1952 statistics on the Ozark's hardwood diebacks he related to pollution generated back east and the upper midwest. His main thrust was tree health decline due to outside factors then disease opportunists taking hold in weakened forests. Predisposition.

These scientific studies were blacklisted at the time due to questions presented that contradicted mainstream eastern Ivy league school philosophies and egos. That means I soaked them up like a sponge. Most plant science and taxonomies at the time of Frank's reports still relied on memorization of pressed plants and uses for such, disease work was limited to screw worm, tse tse fly, bol weevils and cottony root rot, all thrust around which chemicals will kill quickest and cheapest, there was never any toxicity studies for animal or human health effect. Cancer therapies were (and still to a large degree) using precursors of mustard gas, therapies not changed since right after World War 1. We got back Apollo 13 and haven't changed plant science or cancer work since WW1??

In the 1950's, every family doctor smoked Pall Malls - given free by the cigarette companies. In 1984, ALAMO was also free, given to me by the state.

 

[Reed]

Anybody sick of this diatribe yet? It's my birthday and we're suppossed to have a bonfire down by the river tonight. Wife's got some friends coming over and I need to cut some mesquite or she'll tan my hide. Just say so and I'll quit. Also lost a good friend, a very special and close friend, haven't had that soak in yet but it probably will soon.

 

[treeclimber165]

I'm thoroughly enjoying your insight and views on this issue. I just didn't want to interrupt. But go have some fun, enjoy your bonfire and birthday.
:bday: :jester:

 

[Reed]

Okay. The fire's going, my son's on it but I'm 'sposed to be surprized when everyone gets there. I have a few minutes.

Texas presented a unique perspective on oak deaths. I thought air quality here was top notch - heck Mexico's only 180 miles away and there is nothing but sand, agave plants, donkeys and tortillas.

My pilot partner however made me saddle-up and fly down over the border and check things out. Big Bend National Park has had visbility problems but that's 360 miles west. What he showed me were 6 - 500 or more megawatt coal-fired powerplants and the emissions were evident. Coming home we had a chat with some political types who were upset about NAFTA - the agreement all the living presidents were behind passing. Not only did NAFTA remove tons of domestic jobs and allows crappy junk semitrucks on our highways, it created jobs for 30 million maquiadors just south of the border and electricity is needed for that manufacturing of our t.v.s, stereos, washers and dryers and stuff.

These plants are within 200 miles of us here, and we discover the coal is so high in sulfer AND uranium, they wouldn't be allowed to function here in the U.S. Oh oh, son's here to blindfold me and take me away. Later

 

[Stumper]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!
I'm enjoying the education but take time to enjoy your family.