Development of dwarf mistletoe in western hemlock regeneration in southeast Alaska

Abstract

Western hemlock (Tsugaheterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) regenerated within 9.14 m of old-growth hemlock severely infected with dwarf mistletoe, Arceuthobiumtsugense ((Rosendahl) G.N. Jones), and left standing on cutover sites in southeast Alaska were felled and examined for infection. The percentage of understory trees infected among the 3429 examined averaged 9, 7, 5, and 17, respectively, in 17-, 19-, 35-, and 43-year-old stands. Ninety-two percent of all infections in the 17-, 19-, and 35-year-old stands were alive, but only 51% were alive in the 43-year-old stand. In all stands few trees had more than two live infections and few had any infections in their middle or upper crown. In all stands, advanced regeneration was more frequently infected and accounted for a significantly greater proportion of crop trees than new reproduction. A significantly higher proportion of hemlock crop trees were infected than non crop trees, but the number of infections on crop trees was consistently low. Most infections were established on host tissue 5 years or younger, but tissue up to 13 years old was infected. At a comparable age, young stands in Alaska appear to be less severely affected by A. tsugense than similar stands in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. Disease control strategies, developed for stands experiencing more severe infection intensities than those now known to prevail in southeast Alaska, will require modification to meet local conditions.