UC Davis, Sudden Oak Death Researchers recently published a paper in the journal Ecology which describes how coast redwoods are nearly four times more likely to die during forest fires in SOD-infested forests than in non-infested forests. Since the paper was published it has received some publicity. Check out this article on the National Science Foundation’s web site, complete w/photos:
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=128879

And there’s also a brief paragraph of our findings in the September Newsletter of the California Oak Mortality Task Force:

http://www.suddenoakdeath.org/news-and-events/current-newsletter/

The results appear in: Metz, M.R.; Varner, J.M.; Frangioso, K.M.; Meentemeyer, R.K.; and Rizzo, D.M. In press. Unexpected Redwood Mortality from Synergies Between Wildfire and an Emerging Infectious Disease. Ecology.

The abstract can be found here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/13-0915.1.

A full copy of the article can be provided by contacting Kerri Frangioso (kfrangioso@ucdavis.edu). A copy will also be available at the Big Sur Library.

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Kerri Frangioso
Big Sur, Sudden Oak Death Project
University of California Davis
P.O. Box 693
Big Sur, CA 93920
831.620.1098
c530.219.1575