 Photo
by Dave ShawWestern gall rust on the main stem of a small tree. This tree will most likely not make it to maturity. |
OSU and Oregon Department of Forestry submitted a grant proposal to the US Forest Service to fund a 3 year survey of insects and diseases of Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pine. This project was designed to improve our knowledge of the major insect and disease problems associated with plantations and native stands of WVPP. We were recently informed the grant proposal was not funded, mostly because it competes with more urgent forest health issues, such as major insect outbreaks in the west, and Sudden Oak death in California for example.
Other sources of funding are being pursued. This spring limited surveys will begin to gather preliminary data to develop a strategic plan to monitor insects and diseases in native ponderosa pine stands. This effort is coordinated by entomologist Rob Flowers, and pathologist Alan Kanaskie at the Oregon Department of Forestry.
