United States
Department of
Agriculture
Forest Service
Pacific Southwest
Forest and Range
Experiment Station
General Technical
Report PSW-116
Proceedings of the Symposium
on Research and Management
of Annosus Root Disease
(Heterobasidion annosum) in
Western North America
April 18-21, 1989, Monterey, California
Otrosina, William J. ; Scharpf, Robert F., technical coordinators. 1989.
Proceedings of the symposium on research and management of
annosus root disease (Heterobasidion annosum) in western North.
America; April 18-21, 1989; Monterey, CA. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW
116. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment
Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; 177 p.
The proceedings is a collection of papers presented at the Symposium
on Research and Management of Annosus Root Disease (Heterobasidion
annosum) in Western North America held in Monterey, California, April
18-21, 1989. As the first symposium dealing with this subject in the
western United States, the papers presented address current research and
management issues relating to the topics of biology, ecology, epidemiology, and genetics of Heterobasidion annosum; symptomatology, diagnosis, disease loss, and impacts; factors affecting loss and impact; and management strategies relating to survey, detection, and control, including
case studies.
Retrieval Terms: Heterobasidion annosum, annosus root disease, root
disease biology, root disease management, symptomatology, root disease
impact, root disease losses.
Authors assumed full responsibility for the submission of camera-ready
manuscripts. Views expressed in each paper are those of the authors and
not necessarily those of the sponsoring organizations. Trade names and
commercial enterprises mentioned are solely for information and do not
imply endorsement of the sponsoring organizations.
Publisher:
Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station
P.O. Box 245, Berkeley, California 94701
September 1989
Proceedings of the Symposium on
Research and Management of Annosus
Root Disease (Heterobasidion annosum)
in Western North America
April 18-21, 1989, Monterey, California
William J. Otrosina and Robert F. Scharpf, Technical Coordinators
CONTENTS
Foreword .................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................... v History ........................................................................................................................................ 1
Annosus Root Disease in Europe and the Southeastern United States: Occurrence, Research, and Historical Perspective ................................................................................. 3
William J. Stambaugh
History of Heterobasidion annosum in Western United States ....................................... 10 Richard S. Smith, Jr. Biology, Ecology and Genetics of Heterobasidion annosum ................................................. 17
Genetics and Population Structure of Heterobasidion annosum with Special Reference to Western North America ............................................................................................... 19 Thomas E. Chase Biology, Ecology, and Epidemiology of Heterobasidion annosum ................................. 26
William J. Otrosina and Fields W. Cobb, Jr. Symptoms and Diagnosis ......................................................................................................... 35
Symptoms and Diagnosis of Annosus Root Disease in the Intermountain Western United States ..................................................................................................... 37 James W. Byler Diagnosis of Annosus Root Disease in Mixed Conifer Forests in the Northwestern
United States ................................................................................................................... 40 Craig L. Schmitt
Characteristics of Annosus Root Disease in the Pacific Southwest ................................. 43
Gregg A. DeNitto Losses and Impact by Region ................................................................................................... 49 Distribution and Impacts of Annosus Root Disease in Forests of the Northern Rocky Mountains ............................................................................................................ 51 Ralph E. Williams i
Heterobasidion (Fornes) Annosum Incidence in Pre-Commercially Thinned Coastal Washington Western Hemlock Stands ............................................................................57
Willis R. Littke and John E. Browning
Losses Caused by Annosus Root Disease in Pacific Northwest Forests ......................... 66
Ellen Michaels Goheen and Donald J. Goheen
Annosus Root Disease in True Firs in Northern and Central California National Forests ............................................................................................................... 70 G. W. Slaughter and J. R. Parmeter, Jr. The Incidence and Impact of Heterobasidion annosum on Pine and Incense-Cedar
in California Forests ........................................................................................................ 78 Melissa Marosy and John R. Parmeter, Jr. Factors Affecting Loss and Impact ....................................................................................... 83
Impact of Precommercial Thinning on Development of Heterobasidion annosum in
Western Hemlock ............................................................................................................ 85 Robert L. Edmonds, David C. Shaw, Tom Hsiang, and Charles H. Driver Factors Affecting Infection of Precommercial Thinning Stumps by Heterobasidion annosum in Coastal British Columbia ............................................................................. 95 D. J. Morrison Is Heterobasidion annosum Poorly Adapted to Incite Disease in Cool, Wet Environments? .......................................................................................................101
Charles G. Shaw, III
Interactions of Root Disease and Bark Beetles ..............................................................105
George T. Ferrell and J. Richard Parmeter, Jr. Management Strategies―Survey, Detection, and Control .............................................. 109 Annosus Root Disease Hazard Rating, Detection, and Management Strategies in the Southeastern United States ...................................................................................... 111
S. A. Alexander The Lack of a Long-Term Growth Effect of Annosus Control in Southeastern
United States ................................................................................................................. 117
F. H. Tainter, J. G. Williams, N. J. Hess, S. W. Oak, and D. A. Starkey A Model for Estimating Current and Future Timber Volume Loss from Stem
Decay Caused by Heterobasidion annosum and Other Fungi in Stands of True Fir......123
Gregory M. Filip
Simulation of Impacts of Annosus Root Disease with the Western Root Disease Model ............................................................................................................................ 129
Charles G. Shaw III, Donald J. Goheen, and Bov B. Eav Management Strategies―Case Studies ........................................................................... 141
Forest-Site Planning and Prescription for Control of Annosus Root Disease in
Ponderosa Pine and Mixed Conifer Stands ................................................................... 143 John Nesbitt Prescribing Control in Mixed Conifer Stands Affected by Annosus Root Disease ....... 146
Gary Petersen Management of Westside Washington Conifer Stands Infected with
Heterobasidion annosum ............................................................................................... 150
Elvira Young ii Management Strategies for Annosus Root Disease in Pacific Northwest Coastal Western Hemlock .......................................................................................................... 153
Kenelm W. Russell Borax Stump Treatment for Control of Annosus Root Disease in the Eastside Pine
Type Forests of Northeastern California ....................................................................... 159
John T. Kliejunas
Management of Annosus Root Disease Caused by Heterobasidion annosum in Coniferous Trees in Yosemite National Park ................................................................ 167
Lorne West Summary ................................................................................................................................. 171
A Summary of Information Needs for the Management of Heterobasidion annosum
in Coniferous Forests in Western United States ........................................................... 173
William J. Otrosina and Kenelm W. Russell Poster Paper ........................................................................................................................... 175
Annosus Root Disease in Noble Fir Christmas Trees .................................................... 177
Alan Kanaskie, Gene Milbrath, and Kai Sjoblom iii
FOREWORD Root diseases caused by fungi are considered
by the Forest Service to be among the most damaging diseases of conifers in western North America.
Research and development on control of these
diseases is considered to be high priority.
Annosus root disease caused by the fungus
Heterobasidion annosum (Fomes annosus) has
been recognized as a worldwide problem in conifer
forests for decades, and a substantial body of information and literature has accumulated on its biology, impact, and control. For example, at least 4
conferences on H. annosum have taken place under
the auspices of the United Nations, Section 24,
International Union of Forest Research Organizations. These were held in Germany (1954), Scotland (1960), Denmark (1968), and in the United
States (in Georgia) (1973). To my knowledge, no
other conferences have been held on H. annosum
since 1973, and none has ever been hosted in
western North America.
Does this mean that we have solved the annosus root disease problem elsewhere in the world
and that western North America merely needs to
apply their management practices? Unfortunately,
neither situation is correct. Unlike Europe or
eastern North America, the West has an entirely
different collection of host species, different fungal strains, and a highly diverse range of climatic
and edaphic conditions that affect the behavior of
the pathogen and expression of disease.
We have by no means ignored the annosus
problem in the West, however. There is an increasing awareness and concern among managers about
iv
the importance of this disease in our western forests, and scientists and pest managers have accumulated a substantial body of knowledge over the
last decade or two on the management of annosus
root disease. For example, we know that this disease does not operate alone to cause damage.
Insects, other diseases, and weather (particularly
drought) interact to influence the prevalence and
severity of annosus root disease. In addition, we
know that certain management practices can either
increase or reduce disease losses.
It is for these and other reasons that a symposium on research and management of annosus root
disease in western North America is particularly
timely. The purpose of this symposium is to bring
together scientists and managers from both east
and west with the latest research information and
case histories of management, along with other
users and other managers to freely share and exchange the latest knowledge and information on
research and management of this serious disease.
This symposium should also indicate what further
research and development are needed to improve
the manager's ability to reduce losses from these
and other serious root diseases of Western forests.
I hope this symposium will provide the forum
for the free and open exchange of information
among all symposium participants.
Robert F. Scharpf
General Chairman and Technical Coordinator
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Sponsors for this symposium were USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range
Experiment Station, Berkeley, CA; USDA Forest
Service, Forest Pest Management, Region 5, San
Francisco, CA; and University of California,
Department of Plant Pathology, Berkeley, CA. We
thank the many people involved in various phases
of this symposium: John Kliejunas, Greg DeNitto,
Fields W. Cobb, Jr., Thomas E. Chase, John Pronos,
Melissa Marosy, and John R. Parmeter, Jr., for their
help as members of the program committee; Arthur
H. McCain and Garey Slaughter for local arrangements; Jeannie Buckingham and Alice Ratcliff for
their assistance in registration, accounting, installing exhibits and setting up visual aids. Finally, we
thank the panel moderators for their time and effort
in preparation and presentation of symposium papers, the speakers for their informative presentations, and the many participants whose questions,
comments, and discussions made this symposium a
truly stimulating and valuable meeting.
William J. Otrosina, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Program Chairman and Technical Coordinator
Robert F. Scharpf, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
General Chairman and Technical Coordinator
Arthur H. McCain, University of California,
Berkeley
Local Arrangements Chairman
v
Top row -Earl Nelson, James Truman, Duncan Morrison, John Nesbitt, Martin MacKenzie, Sam Alexander, Bob Edmonds, Paul Hennon,
John Pronos. 2nd row - Melissa Marosy, Mike Williams, Ellen Goheen, David Shaw, Alan Kanaskie, Jerry Beatty, Mark Schultz, Susan
Frankel, Greg Filip, Mark Fenn. 3rd row - Jim Allison, Allea Haley, Art McCain, Leslie Markham, John Kliejunas, Ralph Williams, Nolan
Hess, Bov Eav, Gary Petersen, Lome West. Bottom row - Jon Arnold, Bob Scharpf, Gregg DeNitto, Terry Shaw, Fields Cobb, Carroll
Williams, Garey Slaughter, Frank Tainter.
Top row - Charlie Castro, Mike Rutty, Greg Filip. 2nd row - Dick Parmeter, Lee Boeckstiegel, John Schwandt, Ellie Young, William
McArthur, Bob Mathieson, Tom Corse, Pete Angwin. 3rd row - Dave Adams, Mike Srago, Don Owen, Lew Roth, Don Goheen, Ken
Russell, Catherine Parks, Dick Smith, Jim Byler. Bottom row - Craig Schmitt, Will Littke, Fred Baker, Jerry Beatty, Tom Warner, ?