I developed a conceptual model of Douglas-fir bark beetle dynamics and associated host mortality across spatial and temporal scales. I proposed that a hierarchy of factors influence host resistance to attack at different spatial scales. I then tested this model by measuring the association between the occurrence of beetle-kill and...
Commercial thinning operations can result in damage to residual stems. A literature review revealed that little was known about the effects of residual logging wounds with regard to rotation-age commercial conifers, particularly Douglas-fir. An experiment to examine fungal colonization of Douglas-fir following logging damage showed that while damage was significant...
A series of studies and replicated field sites were implemented in the Oregon Coast Range within Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) sapling plantations infected with varying levels of Swiss needle cast (SNC) caused by the fungus, Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii (Rhode) Petrak (PG). This research was conducted to understand the effects of...
For nearly two decades, foresters in the Oregon Coast Range have been witnessing a substantial decease in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii [Mirb.] Franco.) vigor and growth, caused by Swiss needle cast (Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii). Currently, no solutions are in sight but aerially-applied sulfur may alleviate Swiss needle cast and its...
The impact of various factors on seed production in a
Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) seed orchard in
western Oregon was examined by monitoring the fate of
seeds in thirty cones, stratified into three crown levels,
on each of ten trees during the 1984 growing season.
Cones were examined monthly between April...
A population of the Douglas-fir cone moth, Barbara colfaxiana
(Kft. ), was studied on the Buckhead Seed Production Area, Oakridge,
Oregon, during 1971 and 1972. A method of estimating cone and
insect populations is presented. Factors contributing to the mortality
of B. colfaxiana are discussed, with resinosis being the critical...
The root systems of Douglas-fir trees infected with
Verticicladiella wagenerii and assigned by crown color and terminal
growth characteristics to several stages of decline were excavated at
three widely separated sites in the Coast Range of Oregon. Data were
gathered on insect species present, extent of colonization of the root...
Studies to identify the environmental factors that influence the rate of ectotrophic mycelial growth of Phellinus weirii (Murr.) Gilbertson along Douglas-fir roots were undertaken both in the laboratory and in the field. The effects of soil pH, nitrogen, moisture, temperature, microorganisms and bulk density were investigated. In the lab, the...
Verticicladiella wageneri Kendr. is a vascular wilt pathogen of
Douglas-fir in the Pacific Northwest, The disease is characterized by
black staining of colonized sapwood; crown symptoms are those typical
of a wilting syndrome. Histopathological studies revealed that the
pathogen is limited to the xylem but causes vascular dysfunction in
both...