The southern region (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, parts of Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Virginia) has at least thirty-five species of native oaks, and nineteen are listed as either threatened or endangered. Occurrence of oaks as native landscape plantings in the urban landscape has recently increased. Furthermore, some state regulations mandate the use of native tree species in new home development landscaping. An increased demand for planted oaks in both residential and urban settings has subsequently occurred, and some oaks planted in southern U.S. landscapes have been imported from other locations.

The training will be an advanced, hands-on train-the-trainer session and will be of participation interest to Cooperative Agriculture Pest Survey (CAPS) survey specialists, extension specialists, state plant survey specialists, and National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) diagnosticians.

Examples of exotic diseases and pests of concern include, but are not limited to: sudden oak death (Phytophthora ramorum), oak wilt (Ceratocystis fagacearum), Hypoxylon canker (Hypoxylon spp.), bacterial leaf scorch (Xylella fastidiosa), goldspotted oak borer (Agrillus auroguttatus), oak splendor beetle (Agrillus bigutatus), European oak borer (Agrillus sulcicollis), oak ambrosia beetle (Platypus quercivorus), and Japanese oak wilt (Raffaelea quercivora).

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will--

- Be able to identify common oak  species in the southern U.S.

- Be familiar with current pest and pathogen problems in oak

- Know exotic pests and pathogens of concern