Location of Eastern Filbert Blight
Heaviest infestations in Oregon have been detected in Clackamas and Washington counties. Infected orchards have also been discovered as far west and as far east of Portland as hazelnuts are grown (see map below).Many infected orchards have been found to the south of Wilsonville including a hot spot next to Keizer, OR. Several infected trees have also been found to the south of Amity, OR along 99W and in the Silverton area. Infected orchards have already been found near Dayton, West Salem and Mt. Angel.
During 2003 we found a major infection center in the Thurston, OR area. Many orchards and fence row trees were found to be infected indicating the disease had been there for 7-10 years. An Ennis orchard just north-west of Springfield was also heavily infected indicating EFB had been there 5-7 years. Less severe infections were found in the Dever-Conner area north of Albany, OR, south of Harrisburg, OR and in south Springfield.
Many more infected trees and new orchards have been found since then in the Dever-Conner area, at the OSU Research farms just east of Corvallis, OR and throughout the greater Eugene and Springfield area. EFB is expected to spread throughout the Willamette Valley in the next few years.
Animated maps that show the progress of this disease through the main hazelnut production areas of the Pacific Northwest from 1958 to 2005 have been developed. A survey map shows the location of infected orchards or nursery stock as they were actually discovered while a biology map shows the same information but modified to when we think infection occurred.
Another interesting sample of eastern filbert blight was sent in from an Ennis orchard on the Washington side of the USA - Canada border in 2000. The area north of there has been scouted intensively for this disease since the 2000-2001 dormant season. EFB has been found in at least 2 commercial orchards and in many non-orchard sites in British Columbia.
Eastern Filbert Blight has been found in many orchards from north of Vancouver, WA south through the Willamette Valley to Eugene, OR. The location of infected orchards is displayed as red dots while the location of infected ornamental or orchard stock is shown as blue dots.
Map by Jay W. Pscheidt and Pat Grimaldi, 2006
Eastern filbert blight can result
in an unproductive orchard within 3 to 7 years. Trees are
still alive but with many dead branches and few, if any,
nuts.
Photo by Jay Pscheidt,
1994.
For more information
contact
OSU Faculty.