Fort Nelson Forest District

Stewardship - Forest Health

Common Diseases

In the Fort Nelson TSA the prime diseases of concern are:

• Leaf Diseases
  • Aspen and poplar shoot blight
    (Venturia macularis),
• Root Rot
  • Tomentosus root rot
    (Inonotus tomentosus),
• Stem Rots
  • Hardwood trunk rot
    (Phellinus igniarius)
    (=Fomes igniarius),
  • Red ring rot
    (Phellinus pini)
    (=Fomes pini),
  • Aspen trunk rot
    (Phellinus tremulae)(=Fomes igniarius).

The one root rot and three stem rots identified above have all been noted in the most recent destructive sampling carried out in the Fort Nelson Forest District. The sampling was carried out as a part of the overall VRI Strategic Inventory Plan for the Fort Nelson Forest District. The decays (i.e. rots) were found in evidence during the VRI, Net Volume Adjustment Factor (NVAF) [.pdf] field work carried out in the spring of the year 2003.

Currently, of minor concern are the various Stem Diseases (cankers & rusts) that may affect one or more tree species in the Fort Nelson Forest District. These are:

• Spruce broom rust
  (Chrysomyxa arctostaphyli),
• Large-spored spruce-Labrador tea rust
  (Chrysomyxa ledicola).
• Inland spruce cone rust
  (Chrysomyxa pirolata),
• Stalactiform blister rust)
  (Cronartium coleosporioides),
• Comandra blister rust
  (Cronartium comandrae),
• Sweetfern blister rust
  (Cronartium comptoniae),
• Western gall rust
  (Endocronartium harknessii),
• Fir broom rust
  (Melampsorella caryophyllacearum),
• Fir - fireweed rust
  (Pucciniastrum epilobii),

Image Gallery of Diseases.

References

John Henigman, Tim Ebata, Eric Allen, Joan Westfall, and Adriane Pollard. 2001.
Field Guide to Forest Damage in British Columbia.
Second Edition MOF/CFS Joint Publication Number 17.
Forest Practices Branch, B.C. Ministry of Forests. Crown Publications.

Pacific Forestry Centre (PFC). Common Tree Diseases of British Columbia. Natural Resources Canada.