Definite Record of Fomitopsis annosa in Australia

Abstract

FOR many years Fomitopsis annosa (Fr.) Karst ( = Fomes annosus) has been closely investigated in other countries because it is a facultative parasite of plantation grown softwood timbers which kills trees and causes heavy losses from heart rot. In Scandinavia it has been reported to cause losses of forest yield which vary from 30 per cent to 90 per cent, and in south-east Europe it has been described as one of the most devastating diseases in primeval forests of conifers1. It appears to be much less important as a parasite in Great Britain and the United States, although it is still an important cause of heart rot, especially in plantations.