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.

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.

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. 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. 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.

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.

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. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Burns) who has been very active in this matter from the beginning.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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. 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.