Growth reduction in spruce infected by Inonotus tomentosus in central British Columbia
1997
Lewis, K.J.
Volume growth of spruce trees infected by the root rot fungus, Inonotus tomentosus, was measured and compared with volume growth of healthy trees in two spruce-dominated (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss, Picea glauca x engelmannii Engelm.) stands in central interior British Columbia. Whole volume, decayed wood volume, and volume increment over 5-year periods were measured by felling and sectioning trees, then digitizing every fifth annual ring. Disease severity was classified according to the number of infected roots on each tree. Decay volumes were significantly (P < 0.05) related to disease severity rating and had a significant impact on net volume. Tree growth was found to decline slowly over time relative to healthy trees, but differences among disease severity classes were only significant for the most recent 10 to 15 years. Larger trees had the greatest chance of being infected, but had the advantage of a more dominant canopy position, which may hide the effects of root disease on growth relative to healthy, and usually smaller, trees.
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