City of Irvine
2020 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
• Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP): Carries a plant disease known as Huanglongbing, or citrus greening disease, which kills citrus trees. Parts of the City of Irvine are in the quarantine area for this pest. • Gold Spotted Oak Borer (GSOB) : Burrow into oak trees, which kills the tree over time. • Invasive Shot Hole Borer (ISHB): Burrow into all kinds of native trees in all kinds of settings, including urban areas. These insects carry the Fusarium Dieback fungus, which kills the tree. 41
Location and Extent
Agricultural Pests Orange County has over 19,000 acres of land under agricultural production. As of 2018, this area contributed over $94 million to the local economy. Within Irvine, approximately 1,323 acres of land are designated for agricultural use, which is scattered throughout the City. There is no extent scale available to determine the severity of an impact. Typically, agricultural pest damage is measured in the amount of losses caused by the pest. Epidemic/Pandemic/Vector-Borne Disease While any location in Irvine is susceptible to experiencing the spread of disease, locations, where many people gather, are more likely to facilitate the spread of disease. These include large employment centers, educational institutions, medical facilities, and shopping centers. In Irvine specifically, there are two large hospitals (Kaiser and Hoag) where high populations of individuals with infectious diseases. In addition, large commercial and employment areas like the Irvine Spectrum, Irvine Business Complex, and UC Irvine are highly trafficked by many different people, which could increase the spread of disease. Vector-borne diseases can only be spread where there is a link between the pest and the human population that could be infected. Areas, where pests gather, could pose a greater danger to humans who live nearby or visit on a regular basis. Mosquitoes, for example, are known to congregate around pools of standing water as this is where they lay their eggs. Any pools or other bodies of standing water in Irvine likely pose an increased risk to anyone who regularly spends time near these locations of being bitten by a mosquito and potentially being infected by a mosquito-borne disease. Zoonoses can be spread in any location where there is regular contact between animals and humans. The most common places for zoonoses to develop are livestock farms or other similar agricultural facilities. While Irvine has agricultural uses, these uses do not include significant amounts of animals. There are few diseases that have a formal measuring scale to evaluate their severity or extent. Among them is Influenza, more commonly known as the flu, which is measured by the Pandemic Influenza Phases scale established the World Health Organization (WHO). Table 3-7 describes the various phases of Influenza infection over time. Tree Mortality Any tree has the potential to be infested by pests that could result in the tree’s death. This means all areas of Irvine that are landscaped with trees could experience tree mortality. These areas include parks, landscaped parkways, and street medians, schools, as well as private homes or businesses. Trees could also die as a result of other hazards. For example, an exceptionally severe drought that dramatically reduces the amount of water available for landscaping in Irvine could deprive trees of the irrigation they require for their survival. Non-native or non-drought adapted specimens would most likely be the first trees; however, native trees could also be affected, as well. Multiple hazards could also combine to cause
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