Impacts of Swiss needle cast on overstory Douglas-fir forests of the western Oregon Coast Range

2010 ◽  
Vol 259 (8) ◽  
pp. 1673-1680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan A. Black ◽  
David C. Shaw ◽  
Jeffrey K. Stone
Keyword(s):  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Oregon Coast Range ◽  
Oregon Coast ◽  
Needle Cast ◽  
Swiss Needle Cast

scholarly journals Effects of Swiss Needle Cast on Three Douglas-Fir Seed Sources on a Low-Elevation Site in the Northern Oregon Coast Range: Results after Five Growing Seasons

2001 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter W. Kastner ◽  
Steve M. Dutton ◽  
David M. Roché
Keyword(s):  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Oregon Coast Range ◽  
Oregon Coast ◽  
Needle Cast ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Seed Sources ◽  
Coastal Fog ◽  
Swiss Needle Cast ◽  
Natural Stands

Abstract Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) seedlings grown from three seed sources were evaluated for 5 yr on a high-disease-hazard site for their relative tolerance to Swiss needle cast. The seed sources were: (1) seed collected from trees showing an apparent degree of tolerance to Swiss needle cast in natural stands in the coastal fog belt, (2) open-pollinated seed orchard seed collected from random single-pair crosses of parent trees in natural stands outside of the coastal fog belt, but west of the Oregon Coast Range summit, whose progeny demonstrated an apparent degree of disease tolerance in coastal Douglas-fir progeny test sites, and (3) standard reforestation seed purchased from a commercial vendor. There were no significant differences among seed sources in basal diameter and total height for all five growing seasons. Needle retention varied among seed sources over the 5 yr period, but current-year needle retention did not vary significantly after the fifth growing season, and retention of 1- and 2-yr-old needles was relatively low for all seed sources. The intense disease pressure on this site may have overwhelmed expression of disease tolerance among seed sources. We do not recommend planting Douglas-fir on such high-hazard sites. West J. Appl. For. 16(1):31–34.

scholarly journals Taper and Volume Responses of Douglas-Fir to Sulfur Treatments for Control of Swiss Needle Cast in the Coast Range of Oregon

2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 142-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole L. Younger ◽  
Hailemariam Temesgen ◽  
Sean M. Garber
Keyword(s):  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Oregon Coast Range ◽  
Sapwood Area ◽  
Oregon Coast ◽  
Needle Cast ◽  
Crown Width ◽  
Commercial Thinning ◽  
Swiss Needle Cast ◽  
And Control

Abstract For nearly 20 years, foresters in the Oregon Coast Range have been witnessing a substantial decease in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii [Mirb.] Franco.) vigor and volume, caused by Swiss needle cast (SNC) disease. Currently, there are no solutions and disease severity is expected to worsen in coming years, but there is hope that aerially applied treatments of sulfur may be able to alleviate the effects of SNC. In this trial, volume, taper, and other attributes were examined on 120 Douglas-fir trees heavily infected with SNC for response to treatments of (1) sulfur, (2) sulfur + nutrients, and (3) control, which received no treatment. Tree attributes such as crown ratio, crown width, and sapwood area at crown base showed no statistically significant differences between treatments. Means of both foliage mass and years of needle retention also were not different between sulfur and control treatments. However, both of these attributes were different between the sulfur + nutrient and control treatments (P = 0.0599, 0.0205). Using a modified Kozak's (1988) variable exponent model form, taper analysis indicated that the taper of trees within the sulfur treatment was not significantly different from the taper of the control, while the sulfur + nutrient treatment showed decreased taper compared with the control (P =<0.0246). This improvement of taper in the sulfur + nutrient stand, however, has not translated into a statistically significant increase in cubic foot volume removed in the first thinning after adjusting for tree size differences between treatments. Comparing treatments by monetary value of removed trees in the first thinning also showed no significant differences, thereby implying that sulfur and sulfur + nutrient treatments are not able to increase volume enough in 4 years to produce additional profits in the first commercial thinning. It should be noted, however, that all conclusions drawn from this study are essentially from a single replication, and the scope of inference applies only to this particular type of stand in the Oregon Coast Range.

scholarly journals A Climate-Based Model for Predicting Geographic Variation in Swiss Needle Cast Severity in the Oregon Coast Range

2005 ◽  
Vol 95 (11) ◽  
pp. 1256-1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel K. Manter ◽  
Paul W. Reeser ◽  
Jeffrey K. Stone
Keyword(s):  
Disease Severity ◽  
Geographical Information Systems ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Fungal Colonization ◽  
Leaf Wetness ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Oregon Coast Range ◽  
Oregon Coast ◽  
Needle Cast ◽  
Swiss Needle Cast

Since the early 1990s, Swiss needle cast disease caused by Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii has been increasing in Douglas-fir plantations in the Oregon Coast Range. Considerable variation in disease severity across the affected area often has been noted. We investigated the influence of site microclimate on fungal colonization as a basis for this variation with a combination of seedling inoculation and field studies. Development of P. gaeumannii ascocarps on inoculated seedlings subjected to mist, irrigation, and shading treatments was followed for 10 months. Contrary to expectations, numbers of ascocarps on foliage were negatively correlated with shade and mist and positively correlated with temperature. Numbers of ascocarps on foliage, site temperature, and leaf wetness were monitored over 5 years at nine field sites in the Oregon Coast Range. Factors most highly correlated with ascocarp abundance were winter mean daily temperature and spring cumulative leaf wetness. Predictive models for disease severity on the basis of these correlations were tested against disease and climate data measured at field sites during 2003-2004. A temperature-based disease prediction model was developed in combination with geographical information systems (GIS)-linked climate databases to estimate disease levels across a portion of the Oregon Coast Range. This model can be used for hypothesis testing and as a decision support tool for forest managers.

scholarly journals Fungicidal Suppression of Swiss Needle Cast and Pathogen Reinvasion in a 20-Year-Old Douglas-Fir Stand in Oregon

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 248-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey K. Stone ◽  
Paul W. Reeser ◽  
Alan Kanaskie
Keyword(s):  
Disease Control ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Detectable Effect ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Oregon Coast Range ◽  
Needle Cast ◽  
Final Treatment ◽  
Swiss Needle Cast ◽  
Duration Of Disease ◽  
Effect Of Treatment

Abstract Aerial applications of chorothalonil fungicide were carried out annually over 5 consecutive years, 1996–2000, on three sets of paired, 2-ha units in a Douglas-fir plantation affected by Swiss needle cast in the Oregon Coast Range. The effect of treatment on disease control was evaluated annually from 2001 to 2004. One- and 2-year-old foliage in the fungicide-treated units had fewer fruiting bodies of the pathogen Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii compared with the unsprayed units for foliage sampled in 2001. Total needle retention was also greater in the fungicide-treated units after five consecutive annual fungicide applications. Reduced P. gaeumannii infection in the fungicide-treated units persisted for foliage produced in 2001, which did not receive direct fungicide treatment. Reduced infection levels in the 2001 foliage cohort in the treated units was presumed to be due to the effect of disease control on inoculum production. At 4 years following the final treatment application, infection levels averaged over four foliage cohorts (2000–2003) remained significantly smaller for the fungicide-treated units. Trees in fungicide-treated units retained 10–50% of the 2000 needle cohort (4-year-old needles) and 25–60% of the 2001 cohort in May 2004. However, there was no detectable effect of treatment on infection for 2002 foliage sampled in 2003 or for 2003 foliage sampled in 2004 (1-year-old needles), suggesting that the duration of disease control was relatively brief.

Correlations Between Overtopping Vegetation and Development of Douglas-Fir Saplings in the Oregon Coast Range

1987 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 117-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel S. Chan ◽  
John D. Walstad
Keyword(s):  
Pseudotsuga Menziesii ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Morphological Features ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Oregon Coast Range ◽  
Oregon Coast ◽  
Sapling Growth ◽  
Stem Diameter Growth

Abstract The response of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) saplings to overtopping vegetation on three northeast-facing sites in the Oregon Coast Range was studied for two years. As amount of overtopping brush increased, sapling growth (as indicated by size) generally decreased. Basal stem diameter growth was most reduced, but similar reductions in growth occurred for tree height and other morphological features. West. J. Appl. For. 2(4):117-119, October 1987.

scholarly journals Douglas-Fir Beetle Response to Artificial Creation of Down Wood in the Oregon Coast Range

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darrell W. Ross ◽  
Bruce B. Hostetler ◽  
John Johansen
Keyword(s):  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Oregon Coast Range ◽  
Oregon Coast ◽  
Management Objectives ◽  
Baited Traps ◽  
Before And After

Abstract Douglas-fir beetle populations were monitored before and after thinning and felling of trees to create down wood in an 88-year-old Douglas-fir plantation in the Oregon Coast Range. Treatments included an unthinned control, thinning to a target of 75 trees/ha, and thinning to a target of 150 trees/ha. Actual mean tree densities on the plots after thinning were 406, 102, and 154, for the control, 75 trees/ha, and 150 trees/ha treatments, respectively. Fifty trees/ha were felled and left on all thinned plots to create down wood for ecological values. Catches in pheromone-baited traps indicated that the local beetle population increased for 1 year in response to felling and leaving large diameter trees in partial shade. Douglas-fir beetle entrance holes and brood were significantly more abundant on the sides of felled trees and wood borers were significantly more abundant on the upper surface suggesting that treatments that provide maximum exposure of felled trees will create the least favorable habitat for Douglas-fir beetles. However, there were no differences in Douglas-fir beetle entrance holes or brood densities in felled trees between the two thinning intensities. Douglas-fir beetle-caused tree mortality was significantly higher on thinned plots with residual felled trees compared with unthinned controls, although infestation levels were low on all plots (<2 trees/ha). The small increase in beetle-caused tree mortality associated with leaving felled trees would be unlikely to interfere with resource management objectives. These results are applicable to mature, managed forests west of the Cascades with relatively low Douglas-fir beetle populations. In different regions and stand types, or under different environmental conditions, beetle populations could increase to higher densities, remain at high densities longer, and cause higher levels of tree mortality. West. J. Appl. For. 21(3):117–122.

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