California

Effective immediately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is expanding the Phytophthora ramorum (P. ramorum) quarantine area in Del Norte County, California. APHIS is taking this action in response to the confirmation of P. ramorum in the county on September 19, 2020. The California Department of Food and Agriculture has established an intrastate quarantine for the areas in Del Norte County that mirrors the federal regulatory requirements as specified in 7 CFR 301.92.

P. ramorum is the pathogen that causes sudden oak death, ramorum leaf blight, or ramorum dieback. Sudden oak death was first reported in 1995 on tan oak in Mill Valley, Marin County, California. Through ongoing surveys, APHIS continues to define the extent of the pathogen's distribution in the United States and uses quarantine areas and public outreach to limit its artificial spread beyond infected areas. Details on APHIS-designated P. ramorum quarantine and regulated areas and the conditions to move regulated articles are in 7 CFR 301.92 and at the APHIS website.

Effective December 17, 2021, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is removing the light brown apple moth (LBAM), Epiphyas postvittana, quarantine in California and Hawaii. APHIS is reclassifying LBAM as a non-quarantine pest, removing all areas under quarantine, and removing movement restrictions on LBAM host material.

When APHIS first confirmed detections of LBAM in the United States in 2007, the best science available indicated that this moth would be a pest of economic significance. In response, APHIS and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) developed an eradication program. Over time, however, it became clear that the moth’s impact was not as significant as expected.

A state exterior quarantine has been declared to prohibit the introduction of the spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula, into California. Spotted lanternfly was first detected in North American in 2014 in Pennsylvania and has now spread to nine states. The quarantine prohibits the entry into California of SLF, its host plants, and a variety of articles, including conveyances, originating from any area where an SLF infestation exists.

If you believe you have seen the spotted lanternfly, please contact CDFA's Invasive Species Hotline at 1-800-491-1899, via Report a Pest, or by contacting your local County Agricultural Commissioner.

Multiple federal, state and local agencies have been notified of an invasive algae species discovered in Newport Bay, California. The algae, which is native to Florida and other subtropical and tropical locales, is scientifically known as Caulerpa prolifera. It can grow quickly, choking out native seaweeds and potentially harming marine life through lost habitat.

A similar species of invasive algae, Caulerpa taxifolia, was identified in California in 2000 and was successfully eradicated through a comprehensive joint local, state and federal effort in 2006. Due to the similarity between these two species, scientists believe this algae species may pose a serious threat to our local coastal ecosystems.

However, it is imperative that the public avoid contact with the plant due to its extreme ease of recolonizing from just tiny fragments. If you believe you have seen this invasive algae, please complete a Suspect Invasive Species Sighting Report: Invasive Algae - Caulerpa prolifera. Please do not collect a specimen, as this may lead to further spread.

The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing that effective today, we are transitioning our virulent Newcastle disease (vND) efforts in southern California from a response focus to implementing a prevention plan aimed at keeping vND from recurring in the region. Even with extensive testing taking place, APHIS has not confirmed any new vND cases since February 1, 2020. As a result, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is removing its vND quarantine.

Landowners, we need your help: CDFW has deployed nutria survey teams from the Delta through the San Joaquin Valley and needs written access permissions to enter or cross private properties for the purposes of conducting nutria surveys and, where detected, implementing trapping efforts. Landowners and tenants, we need your help (PDF | 598 KB); so CDFW can survey for and remove destructive nutria from your properties, complete and submit the Nutria Project Temporary Entry Permit (PDF | 207 KB).

The Asian citrus psyllid and citrus greening (Huanglongbing) could be a death sentence for California citrus trees - but with support from California residents, we can save the citrus trees that we all know and love.