Stain, Decay, and Cankers of Deciduous Trees Lori Trummer Pathologist, USDA FS
Outline Birch Dissection study Study Design Pathogens of Birch Management implications Alder Dieback What s happening? Pathogens
Birch Dissection Study Locations
Sample Design 2 AGE CLASSES 60 80 yrs 120 150 yrs 3 AREAS KENAI MAT-SU INTERIOR 10 PLOTS / AREA / AGE 60 PLOTS 10 TREES / PLOT 600 TREES
60 TO 80 YEARS 120 TO 150 YEARS
Site parameters: elevation, aspect, slope drainage, understory veg. Tree parameters: dbh, height, live crown, etc. External assessment: 19 indicator codes 9 disease agents 10 injuries frost cracks broken branches wounds
Destructive Sampling Sectioned at 8 ft intervals above stump Cross-sectional measurements at bole ends Additional cuts to trace stain or decay Photographs taken of defective sections Stain and decay was digitized Cubic foot volumes calculated Thanks to Bill VanHees for data compilation
Summary AVG DBH (IN) AVG HEIGHT (FT) LOCATION 60-80 YR 120-150 YR 60-80 YR 120-150 YR KENAI 7.0 10.9 49 56 MAT SU 7.2 11.8 62 58 INTERIOR 6.8 11.2 59 64
Tree Defects Stain Decay
% TREES DECAY % TREES STAIN LOCATION 60-80 YR 120-150 YR 60-80 YR 120-150 YR KENAI 34 89 88 99 MAT SU 12 80 73 95 INTERIOR 22 98 84 99
% ft 3 decay volume % ft 3 stain volume LOCATION 60-80 YR 120-150 YR 60-80 YR 120-150 YR KENAI 1.9 15.9 9.2 11.1 MAT SU 0.1 14.6 2.8 14.4 INTERIOR 1.3 17.8 7.0 15.2 **Significant relationship with age
Decay 20 % cu ft volume 15 10 5 Kenai Mat-Su Interior Age is overriding 0 60-80 120-150 Age (ye ars) Stain %cu ft volume 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 60-80 120-150 Kenai Mat-Su Interior Age (years)
Thin Bark Decay Agents and Age Entrance courts Broken Branches Frost Cracks Wounds Host defenses Decay development may take decades
Tree Defects - Stain
Stain Red heart wetwood pathological heartwood dark red brown central discolor Oxidation reaction, invasion of bacteria and non-decay fungi through wounds: root, branch, stem pre-conditioning succession of microorganisms
Mean Stain Column Length by Region and Age stain lenght (ft) 60 50 40 30 20 10 60-80 yrs 120-150 yrs 0 Kenai Mat-Su Interior
Stain Challenges Higher in moisture content Birch paneling Differential drying from normal wood Differs in physical and chemical properties May lead to excessive warp and checking Photo credits: Dave Nicholls
Stain Challenges Higher in moisture content Slower drying than normal wood Differs in physical and chemical properties May lead to excessive warp and checking Photo credits: Dave Nicholls
Tree Defects - Decay
Stem Decay Process Entry: bark openings Spore lands, germinates and infects susceptible tissue Moisture: 30-120% Temperature: 32-104F
No replace or repair of injured tissues Wood cells react to injury and invasion through Compartmentalization
Shigo Compartmentalization Model Wall 1: plug vertical vascular system - weakest Wall 2: tangential wall of growth ring - 2 nd weakest Wall 3: ray cells of the radial walls strongest at time of wounding Wall 4: barrier zone between new growth and injured tissue - strongest
Shigo Compartmentalization Model WALLS 1, 2, 3?? WALLS 1, 2, 3 Wall 1: plug vertical vascular system - weakest Wall 2: tangential wall of growth ring - 2 nd weakest Wall 3: ray cells of the radial walls strongest at time of wounding Wall 4: barrier zone between new growth and injured tissue - strongest
Shigo Compartmentalization Model WALL 4 WALLS 1, 2, 3?? WALLS 1, 2, 3 WALL 4 Wall 1: plug vertical vascular system - weakest Wall 2: tangential wall of growth ring - 2 nd weakest Wall 3: ray cells of the radial walls strongest at time of wounding Wall 4: barrier zone between new growth and injured tissue - strongest
Decay Agents Stem Decays Phellinus igniarius Inonotus obliquus Pholiota sp. Fomes fomentarius Root Disease Armillaria sp.
False Tinder Conk (Phellinus igniarius) Most common stem decay Perennial, 5 ft decay above, below Invades wounds White rot Ecologically important
Cinder Conk (Inonotus obliquus) 2 nd most common Perennial, 5 ft decay above, below Invades wounds, dead branches Canker rot, compartmentalization fails! White rot, ecological importance
Scaly Cap Mushroom (Pholiota sp.) Several species, stem and root Annual, challenging to detect Invades wounds, frost cracks Stringy white rot Ecologically important
True Tinder Conk (Fomes fomentarius) Common top rot Perennial Invades wounds, broken tops Stringy white rot
Shoestring Root Rot (Armillaria sp.) Older age class: MS 51%, K 61%, F 85% Annual, challenging to detect Entrance courts? Decay in butt log, >6 ft Stringy white rot
Target Canker (Nectria galligena ) Perennial canker Appears as wound Invades dead branches Lacks decay
Birch Management and Decay Reduce or Enhance Rotation ages Wounding Multiple entries in stands
What s happening to our alder in Alaska? Lori Trummer Pathologist, USDA FS
Dieback & Mortality Branches, stems, genets Nome to Skagway Pronounced in SC Noted 2003 Hosts: Alnus incana Alnus crispa
Monitoring plots: Kenai, Mat-Su, Interior 31% Dead 31% Live with dieback Healthy 38% Proportion of Stems (%) 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 healthy 2004 2005 live with dieback dead *Dieback and Mortality continuing*
Symptoms Leaves expanded in spring but are dead by early summer. Individual branches, sections of ramet, entire genet may die Fairbanks, Interior
Native Canker Pathogen Valsa melanodiscus Cytospora umbrina (aka)
Canker pathogen close-up Cankered area is outlined
Stress factors Lack of Moisture drought stress Palmer Hayflats
Stress- Defoliation Photo credit CES
Stress Climate Induced? http://climate.gi.alaska.edu/climtrends/change/tempchange.html Reduced host defenses Favor lifecycle of pathogen
Future Health of Alder? 31% Dead Healthy 38% 31% Live with dieback
QUESTIONS?
Frost Crack winter wound length of FC +
Wounds larger than 1 ft 2, basal length of wound +
Dead top decay at or near 4 top
Broken Branches Decay common in large broken branches (>2 dia)
AVG DBH (IN) LOCATION 60-80 YR 120-150 YR KENAI 7.0 10.9 MAT SU 7.2 11.8 FAIRBANKS 6.8 11.2