Root Disease Committee Report

Submitted by Ellen Michaels Goheen

The WIFDWC Root Disease Committee meeting was called to order at 7:50 am.  Twenty members were in attendance.

Announcements were made regarding two upcoming International root disease meetings: 

The IUFRO Working Party 7.02.01 Root and Butt Rots will be meeting September 16-22, 2001 in Quebec City.  Information regarding this meeting can be obtained at

http://iufro-rbr2001.cfl.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca

The IUFRO Working Party 7.02.09 Phytophthora Diseases of Forest Trees will be held in Western Australia, September 29-October 5, 2001.  Information regarding this meeting can be obtained at http://wwwscience.murdoch.edu.au/conf/phytophthora/index.html

Walt Thies sent his regrets for not attending this year’s WIFDWC.  He anxiously awaits starting field work on the black stain plots in eastern Oregon and invites all interested parties to come out and help examine the many excavated root systems that will result from this project.

The Committee discussed sponsoring a panel at next year’s meeting.  In 1999 we talked about having a panel that focused on root diseases and fertilization at an upcoming meeting.  Will Littke and others suggested that the panel include the role of nutrient balance in disease development and information on nutrient status of trees.  Because much of the nutrient/root disease questions have come out of Idaho and a great deal of fertilizer work has been done in Canada, the group decided to hold off on this particular topic until the 2002 meeting in British Columbia where greater participation from Canada and Idaho folks could be expected.  It was agreed that having the root disease committee sponsor a panel at the 2001 meeting was still a good one and that a topic would present itself once we discovered if there was a particular theme to the meeting.  Ellen will follow up with Interim Program Chairperson Alan Kanaskie and with the 2001 Program Chairperson once announced.

The remainder of the session was spent in a round robin of reports and discussions.

Rich Hunt and Rona Sturrock reported on root disease work being done by the Canadian Forest Service.  Rich continues work on tomentosus root rot, including monitoring the disease on 30m square plots.  Rona is working on infection processes of Phellinus weirii using protein and molecular techniques and on identifying trees resistant to P. weirii.  She noted that there would be a tech transfer note coming out on stumping research soon.  Duncan Morrison continues his work on various aspects of Armillaria root disease, Mike Cruikshank is studying Armillaria impacts on tree growth, and Don Norris has been doing a lot of work on pop-up logging and root disease management.

Carrie Burns, Washington DNR, reported that the video, “The Rotten Truth”, produced by Dan Omdahl is available for $24.00 US from Washington State University Continuing Educational Services.

Willis Littke continues work on relationships between commercial thinning activities and associated root disease impacts as well as root disease management by species manipulation.  He related that Weyerhauser Corp.is very interested in how root disease pockets are used by wildlife species and are managing some root disease pockets for wildlife habitat.

John Pronos introduced the topic of SPORAXâ and its use in true fir stands.  He related that the USFS in California has a policy to treat all recently cut stumps in developed recreation sites with SPORAXâ and asked the group how others were dealing with treating true firs in general forest management situations.  A lively discussion followed with a variety of opinions expressed and a number of experiences told.  No consensus was reached on how and when true fir stands are or should be treated.

Greg Filip brought the group up to date on a number of root disease-related projects he is working on.  Annosus root disease has become a concern in a few noble fir Christmas tree plantations in Oregon.  The disease is spread from relatively small stumps; fruiting bodies are occurring on these small stumps, and mortality caused by annosus root disease has been substantial.  Greg continues to monitor Armillaria root disease in ponderosa pine, true fir, Douglas-fir, and western hemlock thinning plots that were installed 20 to 30 years ago.  Greg also has plots looking at silvicultural treatments in heavily root disease infested areas.  He mentioned that 25 years worth of root disease study at Glenwod, WA has been summarized in a WJAF article and that Dan Omdahl continues to monitor the stumping sites at Glenwood.

Alan Kanaskie reported that 20-year results from a root disease study that Larry Weir installed in 1980 will be published in 2001.  He also told us that Oregon Department of Forestry now has 50,000 acres of 100% coverage root disease surveys mapped and in their database.

Johns Schwandt would like to exchange ideas with anyone who has experience artificially inoculating with Armillaria ostoyae.  Please get in touch with John.

Richard Sniezko noted that work on Port-Orford-cedar resistance to Phytophthora lateralis is making good progress.  Posters on the topic were presented at this meeting.  Those with questions should get in touch with Richard or with Don Goheen.

Borys Tkacz went on record saying he “does give a damn about root disease” and is especially interested in more discussions about the impacts of root disease in altered ecosystems.

Geral McDonald reported on recent publications he has in Mycologia (characterizing the Armillaria reference strains), Experimental Mycology (mating behavior of Armillaria) and Wildland Fire (landscape-level discussions of the relationships between Armilaria, white pine blister rust, and fire exclusion). Geral continues to work on landscape-level root disease patterns using satellite imagery and molecular techniques to distinguish Armillaria species.

Blakey Lockman briefly discussed ongoing root disease related projects in Montana and northern Idaho.  These include root disease implications of the silvicultural treatments associated with Douglas-fir beetle management, monitoring of tomentosus root rot in western larch, and investigating decline of ponderosa pine. 

Yun Wu asked the group for more information regarding the history and use of Phlebia gigantea as a biological control for annosus root disease.

The group engaged in a small discussion about root disease management in campgrounds.  A decision was made to discuss a joint publication on this topic with members of the Hazard Tree Committee.  Ellen will follow up with Hazard Tree Committee Chairperson John Pronos.

The meeting adjourned at 9:20 am.

The following items were submitted after the meeting:

Pete Angwin reported that 1) permanent plots to assess the impacts of black stain rot disease on Douglas-fir are being remeasured in 30 second growth stands on the Happy Camp Ranger District of the Klamath National Forest. Plot establishment and initial measurements were done in 1996 following an extensive survey of 1,152 stands in 1993. 2) A new POC root disease infection area was identified at Aikens Creek, four miles from an infestation at Fish Lake (Orleans Ranger District, Six Rivers NF) and 1-2 miles from the Klamath River. The infestation at Fish Lake was the first instance of spread to the Klamath River drainage. Evidence of POC bough cutting was found in the area. 3) An outplanting trial of 392 POC seedlings was established in a root disease-infested area at the town of Hiouche. The test was made to validate POC resistance selections made on the basis of testing at Oregon State University.  Although 35 seedlings died 16 weeks after planting, no mortality appeared to be due to POC root disease. And 4) POC branch samples were collected from 14 “survivor” trees from mortality areas along the Sacramento River (the southeastern edge of the range of POC) and from a new infection site in the town of Dunsmuir. The samples were taken to Oregon State University for testing.

Judy Adams would like members to know that preliminary discussions have taken place at FHTET concerning future enhancements to the root disease model.  The focus would be on simplification for broader audience appeal.  Some of the changes that have been recommended would include: 

Improving the root disease model should be listed as an important project at the Planning Session this fall.  An initial scoping meeting may be convened after the holiday season.  She also wrote that this fall FHTET would coordinate a Model Program Planning Session to develop a 5-10 year strategic plan for development, maintenance, and support activities.  Prioritization of efforts will be an important element of this meeting.  There will also be a period of time set aside to review alternative methods for accomplishing work that may be more effective or efficient. 

Thanks to all who participated in discussions at the meeting and provided additional information.