There are more than 250,000 kinds of plants that produce seeds.
Help sought in fight against oak blight
Help sought in fight against oak blight Oak trees in Marin County, near San Francisco in
the United States, are facing a possible disaster this month. A
mystery disease has been attacking oak trees for the past five
years, weakening them and making them the perfect prey of voracious
bark beetles which feed on sickly trees. Multitudes of bark beetles
swarm unhealthy trees and devour them, killing them in a matter of
weeks. March marks the time of year when the beetles take flight
and scientists studying the problem fear that the beetles will now
target healthy trees to feed their insatiable appetites. The Marin
Board of Supervisors is urging legislators, federal officials and
the University of California to participate in the investigation of
the source of the mystery disease and to attend to re-foresting
affected groves. In February, the board received a $20,000
emergency grant from the Marin Community Foundation. The money will
be used to fund a specialist who will coordinate efforts to uncover
the origin of the disease which is weakening the oaks. 1 MARCH 2000
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