Arkansas Forestry AssociationOctober 1-3, 2013Little Rock, AR
Forest Health:What Arkansas
Forestland Owners
Should Know
Dale A. Starkey, Plant Pathologist
USDA Forest Service, Southern RegionState & Private Forestry, Forest Health
ProtectionPineville, Louisiana
Diseases
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
What Arkansas Forestland Owners Should Know
Forest disease realities
Diseases you are most likely to encounter that could affect your forest management plans
Diseases you will hear about, but are unlikely to encounter (maybe)
Monitoring tools and information sources
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Forest Disease Realities
Most forest tree diseases won’t affect you in managing your forestland.
When they do show up, they can be anything from a very minor nuisance or no real concern (most often) to a catastrophe (seldom).
Very few effective or economical management or direct control treatments are available.
You do need to monitor the presence, status, and likely impact of forest pests in your general vicinity so as not to be caught unaware.
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Diseases You Might Encounter
Southern pine diseases Fusiform rust Heterobasidion root disease Pitch canker
Hardwood diseases Oak decline
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Fusiform Rust
Cronartium fusiforme
Slash and loblolly pines
Nursery and young plantations
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Fusiform Rust
Loblolly is less affected than slash; shortleaf is immune; longleaf is pretty resistant
Rust hazard in southern AR is low to moderate
At age 5, determine if you have sufficient stocking
Mid-rotation, cankered trees should be removed during thinnings
Genetic improvement and nursery culture has greatly reduced disease severity and losses in the region
Rare in recent years to have catastrophic losses requiring stand replacement, although it can still happen
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Heterobasidion Root Disease
Heterobasion irregulare; H. annosum, H. annosus, Fomes annosum, F. annosus
Disease of thinned pine plantations on deep, sandy soils (high-hazard)
Cut stump surfaces are the infection court
Spread is from dead stumps/roots to nearby living trees, usually creating small groups of dead trees, or infection centers
Mortality peaks about 3-5 years post-thinning
Powdered borax applied to the stumps immediately after cutting is preventive
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Heterobasidion Root Disease
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Pitch Canker
Fusarium circinatum; F. subglutinans, F. subglutinans f. sp. pini, F. moniliforme var. subglutinans, F. lateritium f. sp. pini
A resin-soaked canker, usually on shoots and small branches although it can occur on the bole
Generally kills the distal portion; wilting, reddening, browning of needles
Episodic, weather-related; a common problem in seed orchards, occasionally in nurseries, outplantings, and young, dense plantations
Initiated or exacerbated by wounding (eastern pine weevil), damage, high-N fertilization, plantings on agric. lands
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Pitch Canker
Edward L. Barnard, FL DACS, Bugwood.org
Edward L. Barnard, FL DACS, Bugwood.org
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Pitch Canker Thin stands as early as
possible
Avoid overfertilization
Avoid overplanting
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
500 Meters
Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
Avoid chicken houses?
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Oak Decline Episodic, multi-factor syndrome of oaks, hickories
Predisposed by older-age, overstocked (?), stands often on generally poorer, drier sites, on ridges or with southerly aspects
Triggered by acute drought or defoliation events (east-gypsy moth)
Exacerbated by contributing, secondary agents like borers (red oak borer) and Armillaria root disease, etc. Hypoxylon canker is frequently seen, but really contributes little to mortality
Red oaks more quickly and severely affected than white oaks or hickories
Bottomland and stands on higher-quality sites can be affected as well
Oak decline events may last 2 to several years
A useful rule-of-thumb – as stand age eclipses site index, vulnerability to oak decline increases
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Oak Decline
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
OakDecline
Armillaria root disease
Red oak borer
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Oak DeclineHypoxylon canker
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Diseases You Hear About, but are Not Likely to Encounter
Southern pine diseases Pine decline
Leptographium root disease Root-feeding weevils and beetles
Hardwood diseases Oak wilt
A tree killer, but not so much in AR Sudden oak death
Still a CA disease; not in the South or East yet Pathogen is in ornamental nurseries in the South and
drainage water, but not native vegetation (since 2004) Thousand cankers disease of black walnut
This one could get here soon and could cause problems
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Thousand Cankers Disease of Eastern Black Walnut
Walnut twig beetle (Pityophthoris juglandis) and fungal canker (Geosmithia morbida); both native to southwestern U.S. (on AZ and little walnut)
Wilting, dieback, mortality of eastern black walnut planted in western states like CA, CO, NM, UT
Recently shown up in several areas of the east Knoxville, TN (2010) – now in 6 counties Richmond, VA (2011) – now in 7 counties in 2 areas Bucks County, PA (2011) Butler County, OH (2013)
Great concern in native eastern black walnut growing regions
Damage is occurring, but the full impact and rate of spread, etc. is yet unknown
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Thousand Cankers Disease of Eastern Black Walnut
1.5-1.9 mm
Photos by Ned Tisserat,
Colorado St. Univ.
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Thousand Cankers Disease of Eastern Black Walnut
Curtis Utley, CO St. Univ., Bugwood.org
Knoxville, TN
Arkansas Forestry Association ~ October 1-3, 2013 ~ Little Rock, AR
Monitoring Tools and Information Sources
Forest Pest Conditions website http://foresthealth.fs.usda.gov/portal
Southern Region, Forest Health Protection http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/foresthealth/
Arkansas Forestry Commission website http://forestry.arkansas.gov/Pages/default.aspx
University of Arkansas Extension website http://www.arnatural.org/forestry.htm
Your local county forester or extension agent; AFC forest health specialist
Top Related