Published April 1969. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii is a pathogenic fungus on Douglas-fir needles which has become a serious threat to timber production in the last decade along the Oregon coast This research was undertaken to describe the general biology and pathology of F. gaeumannii on Douglas-fir needles and how environmental variables affect fungal development....
The structuring of canopy arthropod communities was reviewed and investigated in relation to tree species diversity and its component factors, interspersion of different species and density of each tree species. Fifteen treatments of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and red alder (Alnus rubra) (various densities and proportions of each) were randomly assigned...
Disease is often overlooked as a natural disturbance agent in plant communities. This study examines what effects, if any, a disease-mediated disturbance has on the plant community as a whole in old-growth and mature forests of western Oregon. Phellinus weirii (Murrill) Gilbertson (Family: Hymenochaetaceae) is a native root-rotting pathogen that...
Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii and white alder,
Alnus rhombifolia, species that are prevalent in the
Pacific Northwest, were fed to larvae of the gypsy moth,
Lymantria dispar L. Gypsy moth larvae from different
familial lines (egg masses) from a single geographic
population were evaluated on these hosts. The larvae
were fed...
This study examined the relationships between the frequency of occurrence and severity of Douglas-fir dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium douglasii Engelmann), environmental and stand conditions, and plant communities in the Southern Oregon Cascade Mountain Province. Data for the study was collected from the same ecology plots that were previously used to define...
The relationship between the level of Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii (Rohde) Petrak colonization and severity of Swiss needle cast (SNC) symptoms, the possibility of early testing of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) for SNC tolerance, and geographic variation in coastal Oregon with respect to SNC tolerance were investigated. Comparisons between...
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...
Verticicladiella wageneri Kendrick is a vascular wilt
pathogen of conifers, causing a black staining of
colonized sapwood of roots and lower stem. In Douglas-fir,
V. wageneri is intimately associated with insects.
Hylastes nigrinus, Pissodes fasciatus, and Steremnuis
carinatus are commonly associated with diseased hosts,
carry inoculum of V. wageneri in...
Phellinus weirii, the cause of laminated root rot, is considered the most destructive root rot of Douglas-fir, but little is known about the damage it causes, to a forest. The objective of this study was to determine silvicultural impacts of P. weirii on a managed forest. A survey located and...
Laminated root rot of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.)
Franco) caused by the fungus Phellinus weirii (Murr.)Gilbertson was
studied in two successive stands in the Oregon Coast Range. Damage
due to the disease in a 60-year-old second-growth stand was compared
with incidence in the preceding 300-year-old stand on the same site....
The ectomycorrhizal fungi Cenococcum geophilum, Hebeloma
crustuliniforme and Laccaria laccata produced ethylene in vitro in
modified Melin-Norkrans liquid medium only if amended with 2.5 to
10 mM methionine; Pisolithus tinctorius failed to produce ethylene
unless the cultures were renewed with fresh methionine-amended
medium prior to ethylene assay. An additional 19...
Fusarium spp. are among the most important pathogens of Douglas-fir
(Pseudotsuga menziesii) seedlings in bareroot nurseries. Currently the most effective
disease control method is soil fumigation with methyl bromide. As methyl bromide is
phased out, however, other disease management strategies may become more important.
We explored two alternative approaches to...
Basamid^R (3,5-dimethy1-1,3,5,2H-tetrahydrothiadiazine-
2-thione) is a crystalline powder used as a soil sterilant.
This fumigant acts in soil by decomposing to methylisothiocyanate
(MITC), the primary active ingredient, as well as
hydrogen sulfide, methylamine, and formaldehyde. In wood,
Basamid decomposes too slowly to be efficacious against
decay fungi unless amended with various...
Published January 1918. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Douglas-fir tussock moth populations are monitored annually in northern Idaho and western Montana to insure early detection of changes from endemic to outbreak population levels. Adult moth trapping in 1982 was intensified and expanded into additional areas from 1981 because of concern that with each passing year the probability of...
Aphids are a widespread family of plant pests, whose abilities to suppress shoot
and root growth are well documented for many terrestrial plants. Only a few studies have
been conducted on conifer aphids of the genus Cinara. Cinara pseudotsugae are known
to attack Douglas-fir seedlings, an important crop in the...
An epidemic of Douglas-fir tussock moth was detected in northern Idaho
in 1972. In 1973, aerial surveys showed that nearly 100,000 acres contained
various degrees of visible defoliation. An egg mass survey of
five reporting units made in the fall of 1973 determined potential for
damage in 1974. Based on...
A study was undertaken to determine the reliability of the formation
of a line of demarcation between paired cultures of Fomes
cajanderi Karst. as an indicator of dissimilar compatibility genotypes.
The results were applied to an assay of the number and location of
compatibility genotypes in each of four glaze-damaged,...
A glaze storm of exceptional severity was seen in the Corvallis
area, January, 1942. The weight of ice that accumulated in the
crowns of young-growth Douglas-fir trees caused widespread top
breakage in many stands lying in the broad path of this storm.
Early research on this phenomenon showed the majority...
A hierarchical series of studies, based mainly on molecular data, was conducted to elucidate the life history of the Douglas-fir Swiss needle cast pathogen Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii at macro- and micro-evolutionary scales. This information was then utilized to design and evaluate molecular diagnostic tools for use in studies on the epidemiology...
The fungi that cause mold and stain of freshly sawn lumber result in millions of dollars in losses to the forest products industry. Stain and mold are typically prevented by either kiln drying or by application of a topical fungicide. While these treatments are effective, kiln drying is costly and...
A series of studies, in three western Oregon Douglas-fir plantations, was conducted to understand the physiological impacts of Swiss needle cast on Douglas-fir physiology. Four aspects of the disease complex were investigated: fungal colonization and assessment, plant-water relations, carbon assimilation and interaction with climate. Several techniques were developed and used...
The main objective of this thesis was to determine the influence of tree vigor on susceptibility to Armillaria root disease. First, the effect of thinning, fertilizing and pruning on tree vigor of four young Douglas-fir (Pseudo tsuga menziesii var. menziesi,) plantations was explored. Tree vigor was calculated by measuring wood...
Aerial surveys of six Montana National Forests in 1975 found a 22.1% increase in the area of visible defoliation caused by the western spruce budworm. It is estimated that 2,278,804 acres of Douglas-fir forests are now suffering at least 25% defoliation. This is an increase of 503,706 acres over the...
Mortality from various causes was recorded in a Douglas-fir tussock moth, Orgyia pseudotsugata McD., outbreak southeast of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in 1974. Observations began June 27 when about 50 percent of the larvae were second instars and continued until pupation. Within a 35-day period, there was a 93 percent average...
Aerially visible defoliation by the western spruce budworm, Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman, increased from 149,250 acres in 1973 to 649,319 acres in 1974 on five eastern Montana National Forests. An egg mass survey during the fall of 1974 predicted that additional defoliation will occur in 1975 on 47 of 48 plots...
Dwarf mistletoe is known to reduce both height and diameter growth and thus reduce the yield of an infested stand. This comparison of two similar stands--one healthy and the other infested--gives an indication of the impact of this parasite. The healthy stand has produced 1.5 times the board foot volume...
Three studies on Douglas-fir beetle (DFB), Dendroctonuspseudotsuae, were conducted to investigate its basic and applied biology. Studies included investigations into the spatial relationship of DFB infestations over multiple years and multiple landscapes, relationships between DFB brood adult lipid levels and position of development along the length of tree boles, and...
A supplemental Douglas-fir tussock moth egg mass evaluation was made within three quarter sections north of Poison, Montana, during April 1975. These areas were being considered for a pilot control project of a nucleopolyhedrosis virus spray. Results from the April evaluation showed these areas no longer qualified as sites for...
Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopk., has caused extensive tree mortality in the North Fork Clearwater River drainage since 1971. In 1974, survey estimates indicated a continued decline in the infestation. Average group size decreased from a high of 158 trees per group in 1971 to 17 in 1974. Average area...
Cones of Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine with extensive mold on external portions of scales were sampled for presence of fungi potentially pathogenic to conifer seedlings in nurseries. The major colonizers of cone scales and external seedcoats for both conifer species were Trichoderma spp. Penicillium spp. were also very common. The...
Root diseases were evaluated on the Reuben's Reserve, Nez Perce Indian Reservation, Idaho. Nineteen trees adjacent to two suspected root disease centers were pushed with a D-6 tractor to expose their root systems. Extent of root necrosis and decay was determined and related to level of crown thinning, chlorosis, and...
An evaluation of the efficacy of steam treatment on reducing levels of Fusarium, Cylindrocarpon, and
Trichoderma within styroblock containers was conducted at the Plum Creek Nursery in Pablo, Montana. Although levels, of both Fusarium and Cylindrocarpon were significantly reduced by cleaning, relatively high populations of both these fungi persisted after...
A granular controlled release formulation of 2 percent MCH was applied at 4.48 kg/ha to 76.9 ha of uninfested, windthrown Douglas-fir by helicopter with a modified aerial spreader of 1.12 m capacity in May 1982. Douglas-fir beetle population reduction was 96.4 percent by late June. With one exception, treated plots...
Three species of true firs in the Pacific Northwest--Abies gran-dis, grand fir; A. amabilis, Pacific silver fir; and A. lasiocarpa,
subalpine fir--are severely damaged or killed by an imported insect
pest, the balsam woolly aphid (Chermes (Adelges) piceae Ratz.), Infestations of this insect cause abnormalities in the wood and, in...
Infection courts for microorganisms invading white fir heartwood were determined to be primarily branches and basal wounds. Of 11 hymenomycetes isolated from infected trees, only four: Echinodontiurn tinctorium, Phellinus chrysoloma, Pholiota adiposa, and Hericium abietis were of major significance in terms of frequency of infection and damage caused. Two or...
A 3-year evaluation of Douglas-fir cones in Montana and Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, showed the western spruce budworm, Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman, and midges were the most common and injurious insects found each year. Injury was so severe at some plots that no sound seeds could be found.
The unusually large amount of ice, snow,
and wind-damaged trees that occurred
during the winter of 1996-97 provided prime
habitat for populations of the Douglas-fir
beetle (DFB) (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae)
to build to epidemic numbers. Beetles
emerged during the spring and summer of
1998, attacking hundreds of thousands of
standing Douglas-fir...
The Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopk., has caused extensive tree mortality for the third consecutive year in the North Fork Clearwater River drainage in northern Idaho. In 1972, the infestation encompassed about 494,080 acres of commercial forest lands in this drainage. It was estimated from a tw-stage aerial photo-ground survey...
Investigations were conducted to understand the epidemiology of Fusarium on containerized Douglas-fir seedlings. Types and importance of Fusarium inoculum sources, relationships between seedling infection and symptom production, amounts and types of diseases that occurred throughout typical growth cycles, and the importance of secondary pathogen spread were investigated. Levels of Fusarium...
Investigations were conducted to determine importance of Fusarium as a pathogen on Douglas-fir seed and containerized seedlings at the Plum Creek Nursery during 1985. Fusarium oxvsnorum was occasionally isolated from necrotic lesions on young germinants that lacked foliar symptoms. Low levels of F. oxvsnorum were detected on three of four...
Published September 1982. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Tests were conducted at the USDA Forest Service Nursery, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho to evaluate effectiveness of spring fumigation with dazomet to improve survival and performance of Douglas-fir and western white pine transplants. Spring fumigation greatly reduced populations of potentially pathogenic Fusarium and Pythium spp. Disease levels of container (plug+1) and...
Live western larch, Larix occidentalis Nutt., a tree species resistant to the Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins, produces the monoterpene 3-carene in higher concentrations compared to Douglas-fir, the preferred host of D. pseudotsugae (Reed et al. 1986). The inhibitory effects on attraction to aggregation pheromones and toxicity of 3-carene to...
Foliage from Douglas-fir(var. glauca) seedlings grown under two light intensities was bioassayed to examine palatability to the
western spruce budworm (Choristoneura occidentalis Free.). Samples were collected in Fall, Winter and early Spring to
identify seasonal changes in host foliage, as evidenced by the response of spruce budworms. Fall collected foliage...
Cambial activity was studied in trees infested by the balsam
woolly aphid and in non-infested trees of grand and subalpine fir.
Infested and non-infested samples of grand fir were collected near
Corvallis during 1968 and 1969. Samples of subalpine fir, noninfested
and infested, were collected near Odell Lake, at approximately...
Evaluation of Douglas-fir tussock moth, Orgyia pseudotsugata, egg masses collected from an outbreak area in the lower Flathead Valley indicated that overall egg viability was relatively high, egg parasitism was low, and virus infestation averaged 7.1 percent northwest of Polson, 17.9 percent south of St. Ignatius, and 57.0 percent west...
Eighteen isolates of Fusarium comprising four species (F. oxysporum, E. avenaceum, E. acuminatum, and F. sambucinum) isolated from diseased conifer seedlings from nurseries were tested for pathogenicity on Douglas-fir germlings. Three of the most pathogenic F. oxysporum isolates on Douglas-fir germlings were also tested on ponderosa pine germlings and older...
The attack spatial pattern of the Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus
pseudotsugae Hopkins was shown to be regular within a given subarea
of bark on its host, Pseudotsugae menziesii (Mirb.) Franco. Empirical
arguments were advanced which indicated the uniform spacing of attacks
was the result of a beetle controlled spacing mechanism dependent...
Felled second-growth Douglas-fir trees in western Washington were used
to determine the attack distribution and develop a sampling technique
for an endemic Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonue peeudotaugae Hopk.
(Coleoptera: Scolytidae) population. The attack density varied by
circumferential position. The lowest density was on the upper bole
and the highest on one...
A permanent study was established in 1970 and 1971 to measure the impact, spread, and intensification of dwarf mistletoe on precommercially thinned Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine in Montana. Mean diameter growth on all plots was reduced 21 percent in Douglas-fir, but the reduction is only significant at the 0.15 level....
Two methods attempting to stop marginal spread of a root disease center in Douglas-fir were evaluated within the Flathead Indian Reservation, Montana. The first method was to cut all living trees within a 1-chain strip outside the edge of the infestation. The second method was to uproot all trees for...
Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is a commercially and ecologically important tree species native to western North America. The foliar pathogens Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii, the causal agent of Swiss Needle Cast, and Rhabdocline species, the causal agents of Rhabdocline needle cast, are two important pathogens specific to Douglas-fir. These pathogens are highly influenced...
The dynamics of stands in the mid-elevation old-growth
Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forests of the central western
Oregon Cascade Range were investigated using stand structure
analysis. Trees with different growth rates were commonly present
in the same stand, which resulted often in a weak correlation
between tree diameter and age. Thus,...
The Douglas-fir tussock moth, Orgyia pseudotsugata McD., periodically
defoliates Douglas-fir, true firs, and other host trees in forests of
the western United States. In the Northern Region, these infestations
occur about once every decade.
This history covers the earliest recorded outbreak in northeastern
Washington from 1928 to 1930 and includes...
Annosus root disease (Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref.) is causing notable conifer
mortality in grand fir habitat types in central Idaho. The most significant mortality is occurring in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco.) trees of all age classes. This project was designed to study some aspects of the general biology of...
A preliminary evaluation of the biological control formulation of Trichoderma harzianum marketed as BioTrek® was conducted on bareroot Douglasfir and western white pine seedlings at the USDA Forest Service Nursery, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The biocontrol material was applied topically on seed shortly after sowing and comparisons made between treated and...
Dwarf mistletoe is a serious problem on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Since the early 197o's, a procedure called thinning-sanitation has been applied to lightly infested stands. Evaluation of this procedure indicated that average dwarf mistletoe infection levels now range from 7 to 50 percent in larch and Douglas-fir treated 10...
Douglas-fir beetle has increased to epidemic levels in mature-overmature Douglas-fir that has been top killed by western spruce budworm. About 42 trees per acre have been killed in an area at Lyon's Face and 36 trees per acre in other areas along the Madison River during the past 3 years....