1. STEM AND BRANCH PATHOLOGY TOPICS
Organisms involved
Causes
Types of diseases and causal genera and species
Management

2. 1. Causes - both abiotic and biotic agents
Abiotic agents - wind and branch and stem breakage (increased by decay), ice and snow breakage, lightning, lawn mower and weed whacker injury, etc.
Biotic agents – phytoplasmas, bacteria, fungi, mistletoes, (not many viruses in stems and branches of woody plants).

3. 2. Organisms involved
a. Phytoplasmas – yellows, wilts
b. Bacteria  - galls

4. c. Fungi
True Fungi
Ascomycota and Deuteromycota (Fungi Imperfecti) - cankers  
Basidiomycota – decay fungi
Fungus-like organisms
Oomycota (stem cankers occasionally – Sudden oak death)

5. d. Parasitic plants
true mistletoes – hardwoods
dwarf mistletoes – conifers

6. 3. Types of diseases and common causal genera or species
Stem Decay –
Ganoderma applanatum (Artist conk – conifers and hardwoods)
Postia sericeomolis – Pocket rot of W. redcedar
Phellinus igniarius - common on willow, alder and other hardwoods
Fomes fomentarius – white spongy trunk rot
Hardwoods –birch, alder, poplar
Fomitopsis pinicola – Red belt fungus (mostly dead conifers)
Phaeolus schweintizii (conifers).

7. b. Mistletoes - conifers (dwarf mistletoes - Arceuthobium), hardwoods (true mistletoes - Phoradendron)
c. Cankers (Nectria, Cytospora, Hypoxylon (hardwoods), Neofusicoccum (madrone) , Phytophthora
Galls (Agrobacterium tumefacians (many hosts), western gall rust caused by Endocronartium harknessii - lodgepole pine

8. e. Rusts (White pine blister rust (5 needle pines) - Cronartium ribicola, western gall rust - Endocronartium harknessii,
f. Vascular wilts - Dutch elm disease (Ophiostoma ulmi), Verticillium wilt, fireblight of cherries

9. STEM DECAYS

11. Ganoderma applanatum – Artist Conk

12. Artist conk on crabapple on campus

13. Postia sericeomolis – Pocket rot of cedar

14. Phellinus
igniarius -
common on
willow, alder
and other
hardwoods

15. Fomes fomentarius – white spongy trunk rot
Hardwoods –birch, alder, poplar

16. Fomitopsis pinicola – Red belt fungus

17. Phaeolus schweinitzii

18. COMPARTMENTALIZATION OF DECAY

19. Compartmentalization Of Decay In Trees - CODIT

20. Wall 1 -Vertical ends of
Cells – tracheids and
vessels - weakest
Wall 2 - Internal annual rings
Wall 3 - Ray
parenchyma
cells o
Phenolic chemicals
laid down (fungicidal)
Wall 4 - Annual ring at the time of wounding - strongest

21. WILDLIFE ASSOCIATED WITH
DECAY IN LIVING TREES

23. WILDLIFE USING DECAYED TREES
Bats
Black bears
Woodpeckers - number of species
American Martens
Vaux’s swifts
Owls
Red-breasted nuthatch

24. CREATION OF DECAY AND HABITAT

27. SNAG CREATION METHODS
1. Topping at base of live crown or mid live crown
2. Girdling at different heights
3. Herbicides
4. Pheromones to attract bark beetles
5. Killing dwarf mistletoe infected trees
6. Planting artifical snags
ARTIFICIAL INOCULATION OF SNAGS AND
GREEN TREES

28. Decay and hazard trees e.g. Phaeolus schweinitzii

29. DETECTION OF DECAY
1. Increment borers
2. Wood drills
3. Shigometer - electrical resistance
4. Resistograph - physical resistance
5. Ultrasound travel
6. Sonic tomography

30. Increment borers

31. Battery Power Drills

32. SHIGOMETER
USDA Forest Service

33. Resistograph - Trademark

34. ULTRASOUND
USDA Forest Service

35. TOMOGRAPHY