Large stands of dead oaks are forming around
Catalina, mostly on the channel side of the island. This could be due to any
of a number of interacting factors, including old age (and lack of regeneration
due to feral animals), oak root rot fungus, air pollution, and water cycles.
A small step towards understanding at least the rapidity of the dieback spread,
photo monitoring of selected areas of the island, was initiated in 2001. So far
it has revealed that the progress of the dieback is slow, suggesting that it
is not a pathogen that is causing the deaths.
Schedule:
Once per year, in July.
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