Characterization of damage and biotic factors associated with the decline of Eucalyptus wandoo in southwest Western Australia

Abstract

Crown decline of wandoo, Eucalyptus wandoo, in southwest Western Australia has escalated over the last 10 years, so very few unaffected stands remain. To assess the canopy-damage characteristics of trees in decline a destructive, partial-harvest method was used to sample branches in natural mixed-age stands. Necrosis of common cankers was closely associated with type-1 borer damage, characterized by "longitudinal" gallery structure on declining trees only. Cankers were found to be consistently more severe on declining trees, with decay regions affecting a greater proportion of sapwood tissue. Several infestations causing type-1 borer damage that varied in age were found on declining branches, providing evidence of cyclical damage events. Type-2 borer damage characterized by "ring-barking" gallery structure caused extensive damage in canopies, but was not always associated with decline. Interactions between foliage density and canker score showed that 17.8% and 63.1% of the variability in foliage-density ratios was accounted for in declining intermediate-health and unhealthy classes, respectively. The relationship was negligible for the healthy class (9.9%), providing strong evidence that cankers are causing foliage loss in declining canopies. Evidence suggests that an interaction between type-1 borer infestations and decay-causing fungi is responsible for the decline in E. wandoo wandoo canopies.