Sudden Oak Death is a disease spread by a virus Phytophthora ramorum. It is also known as ramorum leaf blight and ramorum dieback. Since its discovery in northern California in the mid-1990s, tens of thousands of oaks in 14 coastal counties and in Curry County in Oregon have been killed by this disease. The disease can kill at least several species of oak and beech tree and infect but not necessarily kill as many as 40 other species, including camellias, rhododendrons, and laurel. Infected species that do not die serve as vectors for the disease. In the spring of 2004 much of the country was exposed due to an inadvertent shipment of diseased nursery stock. Officials have been working vigorously to contain it.

A number of websites are useful resources for information about this disease and its current status:

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/pest_al/sodeast/sodeast.htm

http://www.suddenoakdeath.org

http://nature.berkeley.edu/forestry/sodsymposium

http://kellylab.berkeley.edu/SODmonitoring/