Canker was first introduced in Florida around 1912 from imported seedlings from Japan and declared eradicated in 1933
Second discovery in Florida in Manatee county (1986) and thought to be eradicated in 1994
Third introduction in Florida in urban Miami in 1995
Canker spread from Miami in 1995 to twenty-five counties throughout central and south Florida today
A statewide mandatory eradication with the 1,900 foot (579m) rule was implemented in 2000 after determining the original 125 foot (38.1m) rule was not effective
Quarantine areas were established when citrus canker was detected
Within a quarantine area, decontamination was required upon entering and exiting
Mandatory statewide decontamination procedures became required in April 2000
By March 2002, over 1.56 million commercial trees and almost 600,000 infected and exposed dooryard trees were removed or cut back
Tree removal of infected and exposed trees was delayed due to law suits in 2002 by homeowners in Broward county
The hurricanes of 2004-2005 increased the spread of canker
In 2003, sixteen counties had a history of canker, but by 2005 twenty-four counties were infected with canker
The first nursery with canker was found in May 2005
The mandatory eradication ended January 11, 2006
Currently, the removal of infected trees is voluntary
Decontamination procedures are still in effect statewide to prevent the spread of canker
The state of Florida is under quarantine and the movement of citrus fruit is prohibited to any citrus producing region
References
Citrus Canker: The Pathogen and Its Impact Click Here
