Fourteen native plant nurseries have joined the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Best Management Program (BMP) for Ornamental and Native Plant Nurseries. The program also serves 14 ornamental nurseries. The discovery of Phytophthora tentaculata infecting several native plant species in nurseries and restoration sites has alerted the industry to the cryptic nature of plant pathogens and how easily they can move into the environment. Although the program has been voluntary to date, with the nurseries choosing which BMPs to employ, CDFA and the National Ornamentals Research Site at Dominican University of California are working to identify minimum requirements for acceptance into the program for ornamental interstate shipping nurseries as well as native plant nurseries. CDFA is developing a website to further support the BMP Program.
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Native plant nurseries in Washington interested in participating in a multistate research program in 2015-2016 are encouraged to contact Marianne Elliott (melliott2@wsu.edu) for information. The program will investigate the movement of Phytophthora species among nurseries, restoration sites, and forests.