The public might notice some sick walnut and pine trees around the Prescott area, but a state specialist says two of the more prominent diseases affecting the trees are not fatal.
The U.S. Forest Service and Arizona Forestry Division conducted their annual statewide forest health surveys from the air and ground this past week.
Because of the unusually dry monsoon this year, Forest Health Specialist Bob Celaya of the Arizona Forestry Division said he's concerned that the survey might have taken place too early and diseases will pick up later.
Preliminary survey results show no huge outbreaks of bugs or diseases that kill trees, he said.
However, a white pine blister rust taking hold in eastern Arizona eventually will kill off numerous white pines, Celaya said.
"It has the potential to kill quite a few white pines," Celaya said, making it his biggest forest health concern at this time.
New Mexico white pines have seen extensive damage, he said. A 2004 study concluded 40 percent of southern New Mexico's white pines were infected with the non-native disease.
Celaya has not seen a major new outbreak of the native pine bark beetle that killed off hundreds of thousands of trees in Arizona within a few years of the 2002 outbreak.
However, he saw a small pocket of bark beetle-infected pines last week while surveying the Prescott area.
They consisted of a handful of pines near the intersection of Copper Basin Road and Kopavi Trail that already are destined to die. He surmised that the recent Copper Basin Road construction might have cut into their roots and weakened them. He hopes the landowner removes them quickly so the beetles don't spread.
Celaya also noticed walnut anthracnose disease on walnut tree leaves in the Prescott area, as well as comandra blister rust on pine trees.
While people might notice a lot of brown leaves and pine needles, mature healthy trees are likely to survive these two diseases, he said.
"It's a real curiosity more than a concern," he said of the comandra blister rust.
Walnut anthracnose has infected walnut trees along White Spar Road (Highway 89 south of Prescott) and Iron Springs Road since 2006, he said.
"It's not a big deal, but sooner or later people will wonder what's going on," he said.
Sawflies have infested about 1,300 acres of pine trees in the Kendrick Peak area northwest of Flagstaff, but Celaya says the infestation is localized and unlikely to spread.
The sawflies, relatives of wasps and bees, defoliate pine needles.
"They look like lion tails, with all the (needle) growth left on the ends," he said of the pine branches.
Most of these diseases and bugs are natives that always are present in Arizona's forests at various levels.
When they do kill trees, they tend to target weak ones and don't clear-cut entire areas, Celaya added.
He also noticed some damage to ponderosa pines in the Prescott area from winter road salting. That form of de-icing burns back needles and can kill small trees, Celaya said.
Reader Comments
Posted: Saturday, September 12, 2009
Article comment by:
Randy
I'm sorry Fred, but I totally disagree with your assessment of the comments of Bob Celaya. The surveys simply quantify the existence of insects and diseases. If you were to read about the insects/diseases listed you would see that they all have very difficult, or non-existent, controls. The State and the U.S. Forest Service cannot treat plants on private property (that would be very "Big Brother" of them). For those problems that have effective controls you have to understand that we are talking about millions of acres and billions of plants. Are you willing to pay the taxes that would be required to undertake such controls? You simply do not understand the enormity of what you propose when you say that the agencies should become pro-active and deal with every insect and disease whenever and wherever they are found. First it would be an impossible task, and even if it were possible...it would be too expensive to undertake. I appreciate you passion for the problems, but it should be tempered with a dose of reality.
Posted: Thursday, September 10, 2009
Article comment by:
fred
This Forest Service/Arizona Forestry Division survey reflects complacency on the part of both agencies. Not only the Presott area but large parts of the West, up to and across the Canadian border, have been afflicted over 40 years by these diseases. In Prescott, road and utility crews routinely damage trees on private property. When signs of disease appear, they should be dealt with pro-actively by these agencies and not left to private property owners to deal with. Many are not even aware of what may be happening to their trees. The comments by Celaya reflect complacency and unfortunately are reflective of the agency for which he works.
Posted: Thursday, September 10, 2009
Article comment by:
KayL
What about the rapid die off of pinon pines this year? I've watched, as have others I've talked to, as huge numbers have died this year. I started taking pictures last winter when the first ones died on the mesa behind my house. Now most of them have died. It's sad to see a once thriving community of trees die out.
