LIGHT BROWN APPLE MOTH QUARANTINE COVERS AT LEAST 182 SQUARE MILES IN FIVE CALIFORNIA COUNTIES

Recent detections in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties will add new areas for regulations

SACRAMENTO,  April 20, 2007 -  The California Department of Food and Agriculture has established a quarantine of at least 182 square miles, including portions of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Marin and Santa Clara counties, due to an infestation of  light brown apple moth, an invasive species.  The quarantine boundaries were developed in cooperation with the affected county agricultural commissioners and the United States Department of Agriculture.  The quarantine is expected to expand soon due to recent detections of the pest in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties.

The quarantine regulations prohibit the movement of all nursery stock and all host fruits and vegetables and plant parts within or from the quarantine region unless it is certified as "free-from" the pest by an agricultural official; is purchased at a retail outlet; or was produced outside the area and is passing through in accordance with accepted safeguards. The quarantine applies to residential and community properties as well as commercial enterprises.

The areas under quarantine are as follows:

Alameda/Contra Costa counties – The northern boundary is San Pablo, the western boundary is San Francisco Bay, the southern boundary is the south end of Alameda, and the eastern boundary is Orinda. Communities within the quarantine region include:  Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville, Kensington, Orinda, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond, San Pablo and El Sobrante.  Boundaries are also being developed for a recent detection in the Danville area, and will be announced as soon as possible.

San Francisco – The city north of the I-280/101 junction is under quarantine, as are sections to the southwest and southeast of that point.

Marin County – Four distinct sections of Marin County are under quarantine:

1. The Sausalito area’s quarantine boundaries are generally from the Golden Gate Bridge northward to Rodeo Avenue, and from the bay westward to the boundary of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (just west of Highway 1).

2. In Mill Valley, the southern boundary is along Richardson Bay, the northern boundary is Tamalpais Drive east of Hwy. 101, the western boundary is near the border of the Muir Woods National Monument, and the eastern boundary extends from Granada Park southward along Reed Ranch Road to the bay.

3. In San Rafael, the boundary extends from its western boundary along I-580 and Hwy. 101 to its northern boundary along North San Pedro Road eastward to the bay, and southward along the water’s edge back to I-580.

4. In Novato, the southern boundary is Indian Valley Road, the northern boundary is in the rural area north of San Marin Drive, the western boundary is Redwood Boulevard, and the eastern limit is just east of Stafford Lake.

Boundaries are also being developed for a recent detection in the Tiburon area, and will be announced as soon as possible.

Santa Clara County – In the Los Altos area, the southernmost point of the quarantine is the I-280/S. El Monte Road intersection, its western boundary runs up I-280, Junipero Serra Blvd. and Campus Drive, its northern boundary is between University and Embarcadero, and its eastern boundary is through the slough just east of the Bayshore Fwy (Hwy 101).

Boundaries for Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties are being established and will be announced as soon as possible. Light brown apple moth detections in Monterey County were at Prunedale and Royal Oaks. The detections in Santa Cruz County were in Soquel. The detection in San Mateo County was at Belmont.

People who are unsure if they are within the quarantine zone are asked to assume that they are.

The first detection of light brown apple moth in the Bay Area came on February 27. Since then, more than 170 have been detected in the quarantine regions. Trapping and surveying will continue to add information about the parameters of the infestation. If detections occur in additional regions, the quarantine will be expanded.

Light brown apple moth is native to Australia and is found in New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Hawaii.  The range of host plants is broad, with more than 250 plant species known to be susceptible to attack by this pest.  Major domestic hosts of concern include ornamental plants, oak trees, stone fruit (peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries and apricots), apples, pears, grapes and citrus.

The pest destroys, stunts or deforms young seedlings; spoils the appearance of ornamental plants; and injures deciduous fruit-tree crops, citrus and grapes.

The USDA and CDFA have assembled a technical working group comprised of international experts on light brown apple moth to discuss survey and mitigation strategies to safeguard against this potentially damaging pest and prevent its further spread. The two agencies will continue to work together to take the appropriate regulatory action to prevent the spread of this pest in association with the movement of host commodities.

For more information on light brown apple moth, visit www.cdfa.ca.gov and www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pdep/lbam_main.htm.

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