Laminated Root Rot On Bremerton Island Tree Farm

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Laminated Root Rot On Bremerton Island Tree Farm

• 168 acres
• It was clear cut in 1928, only
• a few old growth Douglas
• firs were left

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• The second growth forest that now stands is about
  75 years old mainly composed of Douglas firs,
  hemlock and alder, there is also some red cedar
  and white pine.
• Mr. Harry E Case obtained the property in 1946
  with the purpose of having a tree farm.
• The property has been commercially thinned twice,
  using a thinning method designed to keep the
  integrity and health of the forest
• In 1956, in the south east part of the property a
  big Douglas fir died. It caused some concern
  because it was suspected that laminated root rot
  was the cause of the trees decline.

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• In 1960 there was a windstorm and some of the
  Douglas fir in the same area blew down. At this
  point it became evident that laminated root rot
  was to blame. By 1985 the infected area had grown
  to three acres, but in the last eighteen years it
  has grown an additional two acres.
• It is suspected that the trees got the fungus
  from stumps left behind from the initial clear
  cut.

Aerial Photo - 1972 Aerial Photo - 2002
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Laminated Root Rot Life History/Cycle

• Laminated root rot (Phellinus weirii) is a fungal
  disease that attacks Douglas-fir, Mountain
  Hemlock and Grand Fir.
• It is first visible through pockets of fallen
  trees.

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Laminated Root Rot Life History/Cycle Continued

• The disease has lost its life cycle over time, it
  now lives primarily by moving from an infected
  hosts root system to a healthy trees root
  system. Although fruiting fungal bodies do occur
  their windblown spore is thought to have a
  relatively unimportant role in the spread of the
  disease. The diseased area is referred to as a
  pocket, which is estimated to grow at a rate of
  30 cm a year

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Laminated Root Rot Life History/Cycle Continued

• The disease attaches itself to a
• new host. When that hosts
• roots come in contact with a
• infected root system. P. weirii
• then uses ectotrophic
• mycelium that grow across the
• root contact and invade a
• healthy tree system
• As the fungus moves along the
• trees roots, the roots distal to
• the fungus are killed, this
• denies the tree nutrient and
• water uptake. This also make
• trees more assessable to wind
• blow

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Laminated Root Rot Life History/Cycle Continued

• As the roots are killed, wood- decay in the
  heartwood and sapwood occurs, resulting in a
  weakened structure of the tree.
• Once the fungus enters the tree, it will persist
  their for many years. The larger the tree the
  longer potential life span of the fungus. Some
  references mention that the disease has the
  potential to live up to 50 years saprophytically
  in the root system, other sources say 8 years.

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Laminated Root Rot Life History/Cycle Continued

• The Fungus will wall itself in the infected wood
  in hyphal sheaths which appear as dark zone
  lines. With advanced decay reddish brown setal
  hyphae occurs between the laminae

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Laminated Root Rot Life History/Cycle Continued

• While the disease does not affect hardwood trees,
  it has the potential to spread to the muffin
  family, this can cause huge economic loss for
  companies such as Starbucks. The best course of
  action is to remove the infected trees. Replant
  with resistant species and eat the infected muffin

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Defining Area Objectives

• The objectives of the infected land must be
  determined before a management strategy can be
  adopted
• Private Commercial Tree Farm Public
  Recreational Park
• High Productivity No Productivity Goals
• Low Species Diversity High Species Diversity
• Even Age Stand Multiple Age Stand
• Economic Value Aesthetic Value
• Disease Elimination Disease Resistance
• Large Budget Limited Budget

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Differences in Management

• Private Commercial Tree Farm
• Intensive Removal of Stumps,
• branches and roots
• 50 foot Buffers around root
• rot pocket
• Salvage wind thrown trees
• Switch crop species

• Public Recreational Park
• Replace with resistant plant
• species
• Let the pocket grow and be replaced with natives
• Leave wind thrown trees as nurse logs and snags
• Remove Hazard Trees

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Current 5 Acre Laminated Root Rot Pocket

• Objectives Timber Production Management
• Salvage wind thrown, dead and declining DF and
  Hemlock (about 15 per yr.)
• Planted tolerant or resistant plant species
• Mostly western red cedar- Thuja plicata
  9001,000
• Scotch Pine- Pinus sp.
  100-200
• Western White Pine- Pinus monticola
  100-200
• Planted Douglas Fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii along
  the edge of root rot pocket
• Few Noble Fir, Abies procera for Christmas trees
• Assist natural seed source like Hemlock, Tsuga
  heterophylla, Red Alder Alnus rubra, and some
  Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii
• Economically favoring red alder for the market
• European demand furniture

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Restoration Management

• Installation of wire
• fencing around newly
• planted trees to
• control deer damage
• Deer repellant is used especially on cedar trees
• Brush clearing to reduce plant competition-
  clear around favored species
• ID and protect new natural seedlings

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Restoration Management Continued

• According to Donald Goheen and Susan Frankel
  (USDA Forest Service)
• Most disease management involves vegetation
  management through altering species composition.
  Three factors based on choice of species to
  plant and favor include
• 1) What plant species will not be damaged by a
  particular diseases and what is the
  relative degree of tolerance or resistance?
• 2) What ecological amplitudes of candidate
  plant species? What species are adapted to
  the site?
• 3) What is the management objectives? - What
  plants attain objectives Short and long
  term? - What are the time constraints?
  social and political pressures considered.

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Recommendations

• (1) Remove all susceptible hosts from the
  disease center
• (2) Construct a fifty foot buffer zone and
  regeneration openings around root rot center with
  intermediately susceptible, tolerant, resistant
  or immune species that are adapted to the site
• (3) Fumigate roots and apply Borax on stumps
  (Dangerous)
• (4) Dig a trench around the root rot center to
  confine fungus
• (5) Inoculum reduction - remove stumps
• (6) Maintain species diversity to keep forest
  health
• (7) Plant species like blister rust resistant
  western white pine or sugar maple

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Weve looked at
Defining the problem. Distinguishing the
management practices of a commercial vs. public
park operation. Comparisons on Economic vs.
Aesthetic Objectives
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Recall some facts on Laminated Root
Root... Phellinus weirii

• Main host Pseudotsuga menziesii
  (Douglas Fir)
• Tsuga heterophylla (Western Hemlock) not as
  susceptible, but does get infected.
• Thuja plicata (Western Red Cedar) and Pinus
  monticola (Western White Pine) are rarely
  infected.
• Hardwoods are not affected.
• Occurs in pockets of downed, dying and standing
  dead trees (as shown).
• Fungus enters trees through contact with infected
  root.
• Can survive up to 50 years in large roots and
  stumps of dead or cut trees

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We use these facts as potential solutions to a
problem that may never go away.
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Suggested SolutionsPros and Cons

• Complete Stump and Root Removal
• Pro Disease is controlled and can be planted
  with the same species after several years.
• Con Heavy machinery need it is expensive and
  large equipment can cause mechanical damage to
  establishing plantings.

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Cut all hosts in infection centers along with a
50-foot buffer around the site and replant with
hardwoods and/or resistant species.
Con Time it takes for plantings to establish to
actually be affective Space occupied sacrifices
area of target species for production.
Aesthetic threshold has to be determined.
Pro Most common and effective to date.
Eliminates management of the disease. More
diversity in tree species.
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Commercial vs. Aesthetic Recreation
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Commercial Operations
The main objective of any commercial operation is
sustaining the quality of product to earn
profit. Each tree in the property holds
significant value older specimens are high in
demand. Most of the management practices
prescribed to control laminated root rot make
this situation difficult. Replanting with
resistant species may encourage more of a
diversity in product, but it can be difficult to
predict what type of wood will be in demand. With
a farm composed of primarily Douglas Fir, it may
be difficult to focus management with such a
diversity. Providing a 50 foot barrier has proven
to be affective, but in a commercial site, many
farmers might find it difficult to devote such a
space to a barrier species they may have no use
for. The root spread of infected trees is also
difficult to determine and could appear in
stands beyond the barrier adding more work and
costs to their operation. Equipment damage was
already present with surrounding trees wounded
during clearing operations.
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In the public atmosphere, we look mainly towards
the objective of sustainability for asthetics. In
areas in constant use, parks departments are
constantly debating what steps to take to ensure
that the park remains a place of natural beauty
for constant recreation. And when youre dealing
with rotting trees, the publics safety is of
upmost concern. And how will management
practices impact a public site? Expect public
outcry and constant complaints towards actions.
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The real challenge is finding the balance of
letting nature takes its course while man steps
in regularly to modify to try and sustain the
forest.
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Outlook for the future
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• We can hope for research and development to
  further understand the diseases biological
  processes and responses to treatments.

chloropicrin
There is no published evidence to indicate that
laminated root rot is influenced by topography,
climate, or soil conditions in the Pacific
Northwest.
There is still no sure solution to our dilemma
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For now..

• Continue to develop management practices such as
  barriers and replanting with resistant species
  that will help control laminated root rot and
  other diseases and work towards preserving our
  Pacific Northwest Landscape.
• Our native Doug-Fir may be in decline, but there
  are certainly steps we can take to ensure their
  protection in our forests.

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Message to take with you
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The End
A presentation by
Shawn Conner
Adrian Olivas
Rizaniño Reyes
Jason Wine
Tim Saunders
Special Thanks to Mr. Harry E Case
EHUF 451 Spring 2003