DWARF MISTLETOE
- Preserving high value trees
- Restoring ecosystem integrity in impacted areas
- Sustaining ecosystem integrity and preparing ecosystems not yet impacted
Preserving high value trees
High value trees such as plus trees that have heritable rust resistance are good candidates for protection from dwarf mistletoe. Pruning out infected branches from the canopy of the plus tree along with pruning or removal of infected trees nearby will reduce the impacts and likelihood of repeated infection of the plus tree. Mistletoe - infected trees should be removed from a stand where natural or artificial regeneration efforts are being conducted as mistletoe infections can be lethal to young trees.
back to listRestoring ecosystem integrity in impacted areas
Mistletoe seeds are hydraulically expelled from the fruiting parasite and can easily fall on understory trees and young seedlings and saplings. Infected tree removal will reduce the risk of further infection in a stand. The sticky seeds can also catch a ride on birds, as a result management of mistletoe may require intervention at scales great than the target stand.
Sustaining ecosystem integrity and preparing ecosystems not yet impacted
Preventing severely infested stands on the landscape through infected tree removal and pruning is the best way to limit the spread of dwarf mistletoe.
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