California Nurseries Hit Hard by Sudden Oak Death

SAN DIEGO -- According to a report by the North County Times, nurseries in that state have lost as much as $30 million in out-of-state sales following the discovery of sudden oak death - a disease fatal to oaks and other trees - in two Southern Californian nurseries this spring, according to an industry official.

Robert Falconer, executive vice president of the Sacramento-based California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers, said Thursday that many nurseries have found new markets for their products, but not before feeling the negative effects during the industry's peak retail season (from April to June).

To date, California nurseries have lost an estimated $25 million to $30 million in sales since a federal quarantine was put in place, Falconer told the Times.

According to the report all California nurseries remain subject to a U.S. Department of Agriculture quarantine program requiring inspections on all plants identified as hosts or associated hosts of sudden oak death before those products can be shipped to other states.

The agriculture department declared the quarantine on March 29, just after sudden oak death was discovered at a Los Angeles County nursery and one in San Diego County.

California's nursery industry has a combined retail and wholesale value of about $12 billion annually, based on state figures.