An investigation on the occurrence of the pathogen Sirococcus conigenus infecting natural and planted red pine at the Hogarth Plantation

Abstract

Sirococcus conigenus is a pathogen common in forests of the northern temperate zone and is the causal agent of deertail disease or Sirococcus shoot blight on red pine. This disease has been present on red pine at the Hogarth Plantation in Thunder Bay, Ontario for several years in an area of natural regeneration parallel to the 8-year old planted red pine. Red pine is a commercially important species and holds educational value for Lakehead University so this investigation took place to assess if the disease had spread or has the potential to significantly spread into the planted stock. The investigation confirmed that the natural red pine is being heavily impacted by the disease, most likely due to their location under overstory red pines that are suspected to be infected with S. conigenus. It was revealed that there was no major spread into the planted stock, other than a few planted pines that were infected because they were close enough or intermingled with infected trees.