Fight to Save Oak Trees Begins Monday

The new chapter in the fight against Sudden Oak Death begins as the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) launches a campaign against a pathogen found in bay trees.

Starting Monday, MROSD will begin removing approximately 250 bay trees found within 15 feet of 49 healthy oak trees in Los Trancos, Long Ridge, Saratoga Gap, Skyline Ridge and Monte Bello Open Space Preserves, according to a MROSD statement.

The work will be performed by a California Conservation Corps crew in an effort to “understand and eventually eradicate the spread of the plant pathogen Phytophthora Ramorum,” the statement said.

Oak trees play a vital role in the ecosystem and, according to research, are much more likely to be protected from Sudden Oak Death if they can be kept away from bay trees, which transmit the pathogen to oaks, the statement said.

Work is being funded by Proposition 84 grants and will continue through July 28.