Download Free Dwarf Mistletoe On Red Fir Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online Dwarf Mistletoe On Red Fir and write the review.

Spread and buildup of dwarf mistletoe, Arceuthobiun abietinum, was studied on inoculated white fir, Abies concolor, and red fir, A. magnifica, in northern Califomia for 23 to 28 years. At the end of these studies (1986), and in the absence of overstory infection, 13 of 23 trees had dwarf mistletoe populations that were the same or smaller than the original populations resulting from inoculation. Mortality of infections was the main factor limiting population increases. Live crown ratio of all trees averaged over 0.8. The average ratio of tree height growth to vertical spread rate of dwarf mistletoe was 11.5 to 1 in white fir and 7 to 1 in red fir in the Sierra Nevada. In the southem Cascades, the average ratio was 1.7 to 1 in red fir. About one fourth of the trees became infected in the bole. Of 14 additional trees infected by lateral spread of the parasite, 13 were within 6 m of the source of infection. Evidence continues to indicate that losses from dwarf mistletoes will be small in well-managed young fir stands free from infected overstory trees and properly spaced to promote good growth.
Young red firs (Abies magnifica A. Murr.) and white firs (A. concolor [Gord. & Glend.] Lindl. ex Hildebr.) on the Stanislaus National Forest, California, were inoculated with seeds of dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium abietinum) for 5 successive years. Only 3 to 4 percent of about 7000 seeds placed on branches resulted in infections. Second-generation infections developed and populations of the parasite built up on some trees but not on others after 17 years. Variables that appeared to regulate population increases included an 8- to 9-year average between inoculation and fruiting of plants, low rate of fruit production among female plants, low proportion of plants producing abundant fruit (100 or more/year), and irregular production of fruit on plants over the years, Death of infected branches also helped keep populations of the parasite in check. In vigorous, well-managed stands of young firs, dwarf mistletoe populations may not build up rapidly enough to result in serious losses.
Dwarf mistletoe had no noticeable effect on trunk taper of young, dominant and codominant red firs 4 to 22 inches (10.2 to 55.9 cm) d.b.h. Also, taper was not influenced by live crown ratio of infected and uninfected trees. Trees less than 7 inches d.b.h. had significantly more taper than larger trees, irrespective of dwarf mistletoe.
Rate of population buildup of dwarf mistletoe, Arceuthobium abietinum Engelm. ex Munz., was slow in most small red firs and white firs 12 to 15 years after inoculation with the parasite. Where population buildup did occur, it remained clustered in the lower portions of tree crowns near inoculation sites. Maximum distance of vertical spread was 16 feet (4.8 m), after 15 years. The mean annual rate of vertical spread of the parasite in 12 to 15 years was 3 inches (7 cm) or less in test trees. No vertical spread occurred in some trees. Rate of vertical spread was much slower in all trees than the mean annual height growth of vigorous young red or white firs. Therefore, the test trees were outgrowing the spread of dwarf mistletoe within tree crowns. Vertical spread rate and rate of tree height growth together determine the proportion of tree crown that will be infested at a given time after inoculation.
In a 1964-1967 study on the Challenge Experimental Forest, seedfall was evaluated in 2-, 5-, and 10-acre circular clearcuttings. During the 4 years, 10 seed crops, ranging from light to bumper, were produced by ponderosa pine. white fir, Douglas-fir, and incense cedar. Seedfall ranged from 76 to 40,691 sound seed per acre (188 to 100,547/ha) for a single species in a given year. From 89 to 100 percent of each species' seed fell within an area 1 1/2 times the height of the average dominant tree. Overall, seed distribution was highly variable.