[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 124 (Tuesday, October 5, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H8111-H8113]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR NATIONAL PLAN FOR CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT OF SUDDEN OAK
DEATH
Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 4569) to provide for the development of a national plan for the
control and management of Sudden Oak Death, a tree disease caused by
the fungus-like pathogen Phytophthora ramorum, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 4569
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. NATIONAL PLAN FOR CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT OF SUDDEN
OAK DEATH.
(a) Development of National Plan.--Subject to the
availability of appropriated funds for this purpose, the
Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Animal Plant and
Health Inspection Service, shall develop a national plan for
the control and management of Sudden Oak Death, a forest
disease caused by the fungus-like pathogen Phytophthora
ramorum.
(b) Plan Elements.--In developing the plan, the Secretary
shall specifically address the following:
(1) Information derived by the Department of Agriculture
from ongoing efforts to identify hosts of Phytophthora
ramorum and survey the extent to which Sudden Oak Death
exists in the United States.
(2) Past and current efforts to understand the risk posed
by Phytophthora ramorum and the results of control and
management efforts regarding Sudden Oak Death, including
efforts related to research, control, quarantine, and
hazardous fuel reduction.
(3) Such future efforts as the Secretary considers
necessary to control and manage Sudden Oak Death, including
cost estimates for the implementation of such efforts.
(c) Consultation.--The Secretary shall develop the plan in
consultation with other Federal agencies that have
appropriate expertise regarding the control and management of
Sudden Oak Death.
(d) Implementation of Plan.--The Secretary shall complete
the plan and commence implementation as soon as practicable
after the date on which funds are first appropriated pursuant
to the authorization of appropriations in subsection (e) to
carry out this section.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to the Secretary such sums as may be
necessary to carry out this section.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Hayes) and the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Boswell)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes).
Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Since Sudden Oak Death syndrome was first detected in California in
1995, the disease has killed tens of thousands of oaks and tanoaks in
12 coastal California counties and affected shrubs and trees in small
areas of Curry County, Oregon, and King County, Washington. In
addition, isolated cases of the European mating type of SOD have been
found in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia.
Sixty plant species are known to be hosts or associated hosts of the
pathogen responsible. There are no chemical treatments currently
available to eliminate the disease in nursery stock.
{time} 1730
Following confirmation of a discovery of the SOD pathogen in March at
Monrovia Nurseries in Los Angeles County, California, USDA's APHIS
plant protection and quarantine staff have been working with other
Federal and State authorities to address the situation. APHIS mobilized
its rapid response teams, and the California Department of Food and
Agriculture placed hold orders on all shipments of host plant materials
from confirmed positive facilities. Likewise, the Forest Service is
coordinating with APHIS, spending $1.3 million this fiscal year to
monitor areas near confirmed infestations to see if the pathogen is
spreading from nurseries to forests.
Despite the efforts of USDA and State agriculture departments, by the
end of April, positive cases had been confirmed in nurseries from at
least 10 States. As of September 29, 2004, the total number of
confirmed positive locales from the trace forward, national and other
survey finds was 160 in 21 States, including Alabama, three; Arkansas,
one; Arizona, one; California, 53; Colorado, one; Florida, six;
Georgia, 18; Louisiana, five; Maryland, two; North Carolina, nine; and
so on.
I am concerned about the potentially devastating impact of SOD on
eastern hardwood forests and support all efforts at improving planning
and coordination of our control and management programs. The
legislation introduced by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Burns) and 19
other Members is an attempt to refocus efforts at controlling and
managing outbreaks of SOD. In particular, the bill authorizes
appropriations for development of a national strategy for sudden oak
death syndrome.
I would urge all Members to support the legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in support of H.R. 4569, a bill to provide for the
development of a national plan for control of sudden oak death, a
disease that has threatened oak stands in California but is now
potentially a threat to trees in other parts of the country. While we
work to contain this disease, it is important that the necessary
commerce in oak nursery stock be permitted to continue within
reasonable bounds. This bill should help advance both of these
important goals.
Our success in this matter is important to all Americans. Whether you
are in the forest land business or just enjoy the shade of a majestic
oak gracing your lawn, we all have an interest in this important issue.
I want to commend my colleagues from Georgia (Mr. Burns) and (Mr.
Scott) in particular, for their work in bringing this legislation
before us today. I encourage all Members to vote for the passage of
this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Burns) who has been very active in this matter from the
beginning.
Mr. BURNS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this
time. I thank the chairman and the ranking member of the Committee on
Agriculture for moving this rapidly through the committee and to the
floor of the House.
[[Page H8112]]
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4569 in an effort to
stop a nationwide tree epidemic before it further infects America's
forest and horticultural industry. Mr. Speaker, my distinguished
colleague from Georgia (Mr. Scott) and I introduced this legislation
because we recognize the similarities of what could result if sudden
oak death disease continues to spread across the Nation in a similar
fashion to that of the Dutch elm disease which devastated American
forests and cities in the 1930s.
The bill would expand the U.S. Department of Agriculture's endeavors
to halt the spread of the oak-destroying fungus Phytophthora ramorum
and its harmful effect on America's oaks. Phytophthora ramorum invades
susceptible trees through the bark, killing portions of the tree,
creating an ideal environment for insects and other fungi to invade.
Although primarily a west coast disease today, the sudden oak death
disease has infected nurseries all across the United States and has
recently made its way to Georgia through the sale of plants in the
nursery industry killing over 100,000 oaks in the process, putting
businesses in danger of closing and millions of trees at risk.
Our Nation's oak woodlands, urban forests, agricultural forestry and
horticultural industries are all in jeopardy. The sudden oak death
disease now affecting several States across our country has everyone
waiting for something to be done to address this potentially disastrous
problem. Sudden oak death negatively affects ecosystem functions,
increases fire and safety hazards, and reduces property values in
developed areas.
Over 7 million people lived where the initial outbreak occurred in
the urban/wildland interface of central and coastal California.
Neighborhoods were transformed within months. Dead trees surrounded
communities where green trees formerly thrived. Communities were
overwhelmed as residential yards, parks, open space and recreation
areas were irreparably altered and in need of costly removal of
thousands of hazardous trees.
The U.S. ornamental industry is valued at over $13 billion in annual
sales, the third largest crop value in America. Georgia produces over
$601 million in sales annually, and in my district alone, the 12th
District of Georgia, we have $66 million in ornamental horticulture
sales. Our nursery and horticultural interstate trade, international
export markets, lumber companies and gardeners all will suffer a
traumatic loss if we do not take action to prevent the spread of the
sudden oak death disease.
We have seen the early stages of the sudden oak death disease and its
capability of spreading far and wide. If we fail to stop this threat to
our oak trees, the similar type of disease that caused catastrophic
damage among Dutch elms over decades ago, the Dutch elm disease, will
seem pale by comparison. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4569 is bipartisan
legislation that takes the necessary steps to combat this threat. We
need our Secretary of Agriculture to immediately develop a plan to
manage this disease that is rapidly spreading across our Nation.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' to protect our 21st century
forests and our horticulture industry from the kind of devastation that
we experienced in the 1930s with Dutch elm disease.
Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Woolsey).
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I stand here because sudden oak death was
first found in Marin County in my district in 1995. Since then, I have
been working to control and contain this devastating disease, and I
have been working with the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson) as
well because it is happening in our contiguous districts. It is good
that we are here today to vote on this bipartisan bill, and it is
something that I have been working on to get control over. But I am
saddened that it has taken the spread of this disease to receive
national interest.
Slowly but surely, as sudden oak death has spread through other
communities, the Nation has come to understand the devastation that it
causes and its need to be stopped. Sudden oak death is catching
national attention as it has appeared for the first time in nurseries
in southern California and nurseries in Oregon, and there is some
serious concern that SOD has even spread to the southeastern part of
the country. Nurseries in California are struggling with the
quarantines that have been put in place on their plants in Canada and
the State of Kentucky. In fact, quarantines of nurseries in Washington
and Oregon are being considered at this very time.
But more tragic than that is what actually happens to the beautiful
trees in an area that is affected by SOD and the resulting fire risks.
It just brings tears to your eyes when you see these groups of trees
disappearing.
Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in supporting this
bill, H.R. 4569, to contain sudden oak death before it affects the
entire country. Please do not wait until sudden oak death spreads to
your community before you recognize the severity of this problem. I
urge my colleagues to join all of us here today and vote for this
important legislation.
Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4569,
which would require the Secretary of the United States Department of
Agriculture to develop a plan to control and manage Sudden Oak Death
(SOD). Sudden Oak Death is an issue of significant concern to my
constituents who live in San Luis Obispo County, and I thank Mr. Burns
and Chairman Goodlatte for working with me to develop this legislation.
Oaks are a significant part of California's culture, and San Luis
Obispo County is famous for its beautiful oak trees, particularly those
along U.S. Highway 101. In fact, ``El Paso de Robles,'' which is the
name of one of the cities located in the northern portion of the
County, is literally translated ``the pass of the oaks.'' It also
should be noted that oak trees provide pleasant vistas that encourage
tourism, which is an important component of the California and San Luis
Obispo County economies.
Unfortunately, oak trees are susceptible to a disease known as Sudden
Oak Death, which is caused by the fungus-like pathogen Phytophthora
ramorum, and for which there is currently no known cure or treatment.
Rather, the standard regulatory practice is to quarantine the infected
woodland area to reduce the likelihood of its further dispersal.
However, quarantine efforts are not always effective because the
disease is difficult to contain. Thus, while San Luis Obispo County is
not among the thirteen California counties that are subject to such
quarantines, I am interested in efforts to contain and combat Sudden
Oak Death in order to ensure that Sudden Oak Death does not become
established in San Luis Obispo County's environment.
In order to most effectively and efficiently combat Sudden Oak Death,
we need to have a plan, and that plan should be derived from a careful
analysis of what we have learned from our past efforts. As that is
exactly what Mr. Burns' legislation would facilitate, I encourage my
colleagues to join me as I work to see it enacted into law.
Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4569, a bill
to provide for the development of a national plan for the control and
management of Sudden Oak Death, a tree disease caused by the fungus-
like pathogen Phytophthora ramorum.
In 1993, a fungus-like organism was found in Germany and the
Netherlands on nursery-grown rhododendrons and viburnums. The disease
was found to cause leaf blight, stem canker, and tip dieback. About the
same time, oak trees in the San Francisco Bay Area were dying from
similar symptoms and the disease began to be known as ``sudden oak
death.''
Since that time, P. Ramorum has been found along the southeastern
coast of the United States, California, Oregon and my home state of
Washington. As of September 29, 2004, the total number of confirmed
positive sites is 160 in 21 States. This disease invades susceptible
trees and shrubs, including Douglas fir, through the bark, killing
portions of the tree. This creates an ideal environment for insects and
other fungi to invade.
Federal regulations were published February 14, 2002, to control the
movement of sudden oak death from twelve infested counties in
California and an area under eradication in Oregon. Research on Sudden
Oak Death is currently being conducted by the Agriculture Research
Service, U.S. Forest Service, Universities and others to better
identify hosts, methods of detection, and effective treatments.
Currently, 64 plants are regulated. There are no chemical treatments
currently available to eliminate the disease in nursery stock.
H.R. 4569 is critical to the eradication of P. Ramorum. This bill
allows the United States Department of Agriculture to develop the plan
in consultation with other Federal agencies that have appropriate
expertise regarding the control and management of Sudden Oak Death. I
urge passage of this important bill.
[[Page H8113]]
Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as an original cosponsor in
support of H.R. 4569, legislation to provide for the development of a
national plan for the control and management of Sudden Oak Death.
Sudden Oak Death is a forest disease caused by the plant pathogen
Phytophthora ramorum. This pathogen has caused widespread dieback in
California and across the nation of tanoak, several oak species
(including; coast live oak, California black oak, Shreve's oak, and
canyon live oak) and a myriad of shrubs and nursery stock.
The disease has killed hundreds of thousands of trees in the coastal
counties in northern California (two of which I represent) and
southwestern Oregon. As a result of the dieback in California, USDA
recently issued federal quarantine regulations on the movement of
materials outside California. This action is in addition to the
separate quarantines Canada and the States of California and Oregon
imposed on themselves. Further, thirteen states have also implemented
their own specific regulations against California nursery stock after
the positive find in a southern California nursery. Millions of dollars
of nursery stock have already been destroyed with little or no
compensation for the growers.
Additionally, the alarming discovery that evidence of DNA has been
found on California's coastal redwoods and Big Leaf Maples in the
foothills of the Sierra Nevada raises our concerns to a much higher
level. Should the Sudden Oak Death pathogen establish itself in the
Sierra Nevada, California's commercial forest industry as well as
prized recreation areas would be severely impacted. If this proves to
be true, the economic and ecological costs to California would be
incalculable.
If Sudden Oak Death is left unchecked, the landscape of California
and the economic livelihoods of many will be forever changed. It's been
almost ten years since the first detailed accounts of large numbers of
tanoaks were observed dying in Marin and Santa Cruz Counties and
already a difference in the landscape can be noted.
Mr. Speaker, depending on the plant species, P. ramorum infection may
occur on the trunk, branches, and/or leaves. Infections on the woody
portions of a tree are referred to as cankers. Cankers on the trunk of
oak and tanoak trees are the most damaging, and often lead to death.
Additionally, diseased oak and tanoak trees are often attacked by
other organisms once they are weakened by P. ramorum. It has also been
found to infect the leaves and twigs of numerous other plants species.
While many of these foliar hosts, such as California bay laurel and
Rhododendron species, do not die from the disease, they do play a key
role in the spread of P. ramorum, acting as breeding ground for
innoculum, which may then be spread through wind-driven rain, water,
plant material, or human activity.
Mr. Speaker, we currently know that the total number of APHIS-
confirmed positive sites from the trace-forward, national, and other
survey finds is 160 in 21 states and the number realistically is much
higher considering the current scope of testing. This number ranges
from single event sites to as many as 53 in my state of California.
The time to act is now and passage of H.R. 4569 is a great step
forward. We must stop the further spread of Sudden Oak Death.
Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ose). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4569.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________