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...