Candidatus Phytoplasma pini (pine witches'-broom phytoplasma).

'Ca. Phytoplasma pini' is a member of phytoplasma 16S rRNA gene RFLP group XXI, subgroup XXI-A. It has been identified in a number of European countries, including Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Spain, Czech Republic and Croatia. Outside of Europe it has been identified in China and Mozambique. A related strain has also been identified in Maryland, USA. In the USA, favourable climatic conditions and wide availability of potential host plants of the phytoplasma, suggest that the potential for spread of 'Ca. Phytoplasma pini' could be significant. Host plants include Pinus sylvestris, P. halepensis, P. mugo, P. banksiana, P. nigra, P. tabuliformis, Abies procera and Tsuga canadensis. Symptoms include the formation of ball-like growths containing dwarfed needles, yellowed or reddish needles and the loss of needles. It is transmitted by insect vectors that are currently unknown.

Candidatus Phytoplasma pini (pine witches'-broom phytoplasma).

'Ca. Phytoplasma pini' is a member of phytoplasma 16S rRNA gene RFLP group XXI, subgroup XXI-A. It has been identified in a number of European countries, including Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Spain, Czech Republic and Croatia. Outside of Europe it has been identified in China and Mozambique. A related strain has also been identified in Maryland, USA. In the USA, favourable climatic conditions and wide availability of potential host plants of the phytoplasma, suggest that the potential for spread of 'Ca. Phytoplasma pini' could be significant. Host plants include Pinus sylvestris, P. halepensis, P. mugo, P. banksiana, P. nigra, P. tabuliformis, Abies procera and Tsuga canadensis. Symptoms include the formation of ball-like growths containing dwarfed needles, yellowed or reddish needles and the loss of needles. It is transmitted by insect vectors that are currently unknown.

Characterisation of Bioactive Ingredients in Extracts of Fresh and Dried Coniferous Trees for the Development of Sustainable Packaging Materials

Background: Coniferous woods (Abies nordmanniana (Stev.) Spach, Abies procera Rehd, Picea abies (L.) H.Karst, and Picea pungens Engelm.) could contain useful secondary metabolites to produce sustainable packaging materials, e.g., by substitution of harmful petrol-based additives in plastic packaging. This study aims to characterise the antioxidant and light-absorbing properties and ingredients of different coniferous wood extracts with regard to different plant fragments and drying conditions. Furthermore, the valorisation of used Christmas trees is evaluated. Methods: Different drying and extraction techniques were applied with the extracts being characterised by determining the total phenolic content (TPC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and absorbance in the ultraviolet range (UV). Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and an acid–butanol assay (ABA) were used to characterise the extract constituents. Results: All the extracts show a considerably high UV absorbance while interspecies differences did occur. All the fresh and some of the dried biomass extracts reached utilisable TAC and TPC values. A simplified extraction setup for industrial application is evaluated; comparable TAC results could be reached with modifications. Conclusion: Coniferous woods are a promising renewable resource for preparation of sustainable antioxidants and photostabilisers. This particularly applies to Christmas trees used for up to 12 days. After extraction, the biomass can be fully valorised by incorporation in paper packaging.

Returns from the Management of Noble Fir Stands for Bough Production and Sawtimber

Noble fir (Abies procera Rehder) bough harvest has been part of the nontimber forest products industry in the Pacific Northwest for decades. The boughs are used for seasonal decorations and command a higher pricethan most other decorative bough species. However, noble fir boughs that are harvested in the region have been merely a byproduct of noble fir plantations managed for timber products. This article presents the results of a study assessing the financial desirability of managing noble fir plantationsin the southern Cascade Mountains of Washington State for the production of both timber and bough products. The Landscape Management System software program was used to simulate the growth of noble fir in four different plant associations on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Data from recentlyestablished noble fir plantations were used in the simulations. Harvestable bough weights were estimated using a previously published noble fir bough weight model. Comparisons of estimated harvest volumes for sawlogs and noble fir boughs showed positive present net worth (PNW) values for eachstand under a combined timber production and bough harvest scenario and negative PNW values for each stand with a timber production management scenario only. Bough harvest is compatible with other land use activities, and the harvest revenue can cover stand establishment and precommercialthinning costs.

Geographic variation in chloroplast haplotypes in the California red fir-noble fir species complex and the status of Shasta red fir

I present the results of a molecular investigation into taxonomically unresolved issues of the California red fir – noble fir species complex. Samples were collected throughout the range of California red fir ( Abies magnifica A. Murray), from the southern Sierra Nevada to the region in northern California and southern Oregon where morphological variation has suggested it hybridizes with noble fir ( Abies procera Rehder). Two rbcL sequences were found within A. magnifica and showed perfect linkage with variation at the chloroplast trnD locus. Only populations in the region of hypothesized hybridization were polymorphic for rbcL. One haplotype is unique to A. magnifica in the southern part of its range, and the other is identical to that found in A. procera to the north, supporting a broad zone of hybridization. There was no evidence for a cryptic geographic barrier between the two species. A single A. procera tree from southwestern Washington also had the A. magnifica haplotype, suggesting that introgression from A. magnifica may be widespread. The type locality of Abies magnifica var. shastensis Lemmon was polymorphic, whereas the disjuct southern A. magnifica var. shastensis was monomorphic for rbcL. I also present corrections, based on replication, to two rbcL sequences for A. magnifica previously deposited in GenBank.