sad state of spruce

[burlman]

This fall I did a skidding job. for a new neighbor. He wanted some spruce saw logs pulled out to mill up for a garage he was building. A run of the mill easy job, he had quite a few nice pockets of clean white spruce spread over his 100 acre bush. I noticed that there was a fair number of dead trees that still seemed in good enough shape to recover. after attemting to drop a few I found the butts were red and dozy and fit only for compost. The owner was hesitant to cut any live trees if we didn't have to, but good lumber comes from good trees. So we pushed a trail into a nice grove, all trees were 12to 16 in dia. few branches, no 1 logs all the way. Every tree I felled was just like the dead ones, complete red heart, we had to jump cut all the butts 4 to 10 feet off to get to some useable lumber. When the tail end of that last hurricane came through here in late autumn, I drove around cottage country on tree removal duty, Most of my calls were for spruce trees toppled over due to completly rotted butts. I even had 2 at my cottage green as can be healty looking as can be , broken off across the deck of the cottage. Is there a new disease going around that is transmitted underground tree to tree. because the whole of the neighboring trees in a clump all seem to have the same fate. We have had a terrible bout of spruce bud worm here in West Quebec, would the repeated attacks start to weaken the  bole of the tree?

[IndyIan]

I've got the same thing happening with my Balsam Fir.  Perfect looking 14" dbh tree blows over because only 2 or 3 inches around the outside is good wood.  All the Firs in the immediate area seem to be the same way.

Ian

[Stephen_Wiley]

Have either of you noticed any large mushroom looking conks on or near the trees?

Burlman - not certain that their is any new strain of root rotting organisms. Should have a forester look at your ground to determine the causal agent.  I suspect either Inonotus tomentosus or Phaeolus schweinitzii is impacting your trees.  

Indylan - is the heartwood red beyond the lower trunk of the tree?  In addition to the pathogens I have mentioned to Burlman, you may be dealing with Haematostereum guinolentum

A combination of problems can exist in both of your wooded lots. I would recommend you both get a forest patholgist to id the problem areas.  Spruce Budworm, Balsam Woolly Adelgid, and other insects can be causing wounds and introducing funguses. These insects may be secondary if your trees are already stressed from root rot pathogens.

[Ron Scott]

Yes, have the situation diagnosed by your local forest or government  insect & disease expert to determine specific cause and if any controls are warranted.

It appears to be one of the root rots, but what agent or agents is causing it??

[SwampDonkey]

Situations I run into concerning root and stem rots of white spruce and fir:
1) Spruce establishing on abondoned farmland used one time by livestock. The livestock damage the root system of white spruce by treading the ground to expose the roots which are very shallow. Livestock also scrape tree boles which may damage tree cambium.

2) Grampy decided he wanted to limb up the spruce with the chain saw. If you cut into the swelling around the base of the limb you will severely injure the tree bole and make large wounds for pathogens and later make entry points for insects like carpenter ants. Sometimes these wounds appear completely healed with dark pitch pockets around the wounds, sometimes pitch is found in long streams hardened below the wound. If your going to prune spruce or fir, do leave a 2 inch stubby beyond the branch swelling. This is difficult to do all day long, so take frequent breaks.

3) Some pure spruce sites are too shady and the forest floor is cold and damp harbouring the growth of decay fungus with small white caps covering the forest floor (not sure of species). See these? red butted spruce 100 % of the time. Not normally 100 % of the trees though. The ones worse hit will have bark the size of silver dollars flaking at the first 4 to 6 feet of the bole. Other decay fungi may be found as mentioned above by others in this thread. Shrebers and or Stairstep mosses usually always present.

4) Suspect microryza fungi may be providing entry point for harmfull fungal pathogens. Some trees species, such as spruce use microryza fungi symbiotically to expand root surface area for water and mineral update during a water deficit. During periods of this water deficit trees may be badly stressed.

5) Past insect history: Some stands of spruce or fir or mixed were only partially defoliated, trees were too stressed to fully recover. Up here we have alot of 80's budworm damaged stands. Currently spruce saw fly is bad on the fundy coast, hitting black spruce plantations. Red spruce would have been the preferred species, since abundant regen is present on natural sites with no significant damage. Norway spruce and white spruce are susceptable on some inland sites. Frost hardiness of norway spruce is also suspect with some seed sources and locations. Balsam wooly adelgid and hemlock looper (budworm family) may become a problem, presently being monitored in NB.

Insect pests here:
http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/cfs-scf/science/prodserv/pests/pests_e.html

Forest pest management in New Brunswick
http://www.gnb.ca/0078/fpm/

6)Tree age, balsam fir life span increases from southern regions (60 yrs), northword (up to 110 yrs). I've seen some 3 footers at the stump along the Tobique valley, with 4 footer aspen. Unbelieveable!! An associate of mine and his boss have turned it into a park.......man the hwd veneer in there

Friend of mine helps maintain this site at VT
http://whizlab.isis.vt.edu/servlet/sf/ento/

I see him in the home page photo amongst the crowd, I won't embarrass him

Life of a red spruce
http://www.unbf.ca/forestry/species/rdspruce.htm

regards

[IndyIan]

Thanks for the information everyone.  I suspect nearly all my forest had livestock in it until 15-20 years ago so that may be the start of the problem.

Stephen,
I haven't done an autopsy on any of them yet, but the rotted wood at the break is definitely red.  Should I do cuts in the upper 1/3 of the tree looking for red heartwood?

Is there any practical treatment for a couple acres where Fir is about 1/2 of the canopy?

Thanks,
Ian

[SwampDonkey]

indylan:

If some of your dominant fir has pitch bubbles with greenish gray bark retain them with your healthier spruce. If your fir is smooth barked and kinda greyed or branches with lichens, whack'm. Also look at the fir leaders, if the growth between whorls is slowing down, then whack'm. Remove suppressed and some weaker co-dominants. Dominate trees will be windfirm unless they have buttrot. Be aware that spruce will regenerate on your skid paths and the fir will germinate on mosses and disturbed mineral soil in trails. So your going to have alot of fir regen as a result. Harvest your spruce-fir from mid August  to early September in heavy seed years for best regeneration results. You'll also have less damage to residual tree roots and boles. Remove any severely scared up trees also. The bark starts to become more tight to the bole in late summer.

happy harvesting