A VIRULENT new pathogen is attacking California’s giant redwoods and Douglas firs, which are among the tallest and most long-lived trees in the world.
The appearance of the fungus-like alga, called Phytophthora ramorum, threatens California’s $3 billion timber industry. The two species account for half the timber harvested in the state each year.
Researchers at the Davis and Berkeley campuses of the University of California announced last week that they had found the pathogen infecting coast redwoods and Douglas firs in several Californian locations. They have also managed to infect cuttings of the trees in the lab.
Experts are not…
