OREGON'S REGULATORY PROGRAM

In Oregon, the nursery industry members, their association and state regulators have taken an aggressive stand with respect to P. ramorum. Science-based regulatory oversight is a vital component to the management of P. ramorum and the prevention, detection and eradication of the disease. The industry has consistently urged the USDA to add more resources for survey efforts and to take a strong position on international and interstate shipments of high-risk stock.

Certification Program
To create an unmatched level of customer assurance, in June 2004 the Oregon Association of Nurseries asked the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA)  to launch a comprehensive program to inspect and certify nurseries and to destroy any plants found infected with Phytophthora ramorum. The inspection and certification effort spanned a period of 60 days and included a total of 20 U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors who assisted ODA staff. During the initial inspection phase, nearly 70,000 samples at Oregon nurseries were inspected and certified free of the disease.

Oregon nurseries inspected and found free of the pathogen are being certified. Then those nurseries enter into compliance agreements with the ODA and are eligible to ship P. ramorum susceptible plants. Compliance agreements require nurseries to be inspected and tested annually, to alert ODA whenever it brings in woody plant material from out of state, and to hold any plants on USDA’s host or associated host list for inspection and testing if such material is received from another noncertified nursery. Oregon certified nurseries with compliance agreements use ODA-approved stickers (sample at right) to place on paperwork of shipments of regulated plants to alert customers and regulators that these plants originate from a certified nursery with a compliance agreement.

ATTENTION: GROWERS OF HOST OR ASSOCIATED PLANT (HAP) MATERIAL NOW NEED A USDA SHIELD TO SHIP OUT OF STATE. PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW TO 'FEDERAL PROGRAM' FOR THE LATEST REQUIREMENTS. GROWERS OF NON-HAP MATERIAL NEED TO HAVE A VISUAL INSPECTION COMPLETED WITHIN 60 DAYS FOLLOWING THE JAN. 10, 2005. AGAIN, PLEASE FOLLOW THE 'FEDERAL PROGRAM' LINK BELOW FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION.

	Certification Program in Action Left: ODA Horticulturalist Scott Rose, collects plant samples for lab analysis. Below left: Oregon Department of Agriculture nursery inspector Sherree Lewis gathers samples at an Oregon nursery in late summer 2004 as part of the state's comprehensive nursery inspection and certification program. Below right: ODA inspector Lisa Rehms looks over Rhododendrons at an Oregon nursery in search of leaves showing symptoms of Phytophthora ramorum. Tens of thousands of samples from hundreds of nurseries were gathered and tested for the disease. (Photos courtesy of the Oregon Department of Agriculture)
At right: Leaf samples are transferred to a Petri dish at the ODA Plant Health Laboratory. (Photo courtesy of the Oregon Department of Agriculture)

Oregon as a Model
The USDA is currently reviewing and amending the regulations for P ramorum. Part of the new rules will include a new plant certification program, relying on individual states to conduct official “state nursery stock cleanliness programs” (SNSCPs). These programs must meet all the conditions and requirements of the federal quarantine, and be approved by the USDA. Oregon, through its industry-supported and mandatory 100% inspection program, serves as a model for this new approach and is uniquely qualified to become the first state to pursue a SNSCP. Through partnerships with Oregon State University and the USDA ARS, production methods will be developed, tested and verified. These methods will provide peer-reviewed and scientific evaluation of the SNSCP and help drive its successful implementation.


Certified Nurseries
For a complete, up-to-date list of Oregon's certified nurseries and Christmas tree growers, click here.


Oregon Quarantine
The Oregon Department of Agriculture has also issued a quarantine to prevent further spread of P. ramorum within Oregon. To view the full quarantine, click here: http://www.oda.state.or.us/plant/ppd/path/SOD/SOD_quar.html

 

Copyright 2004