Landscape Architect Articles

Canker KOs Pines01-28-08 | News

Canker KOs Pines

Canker damage to a group of Monterey pines will force U.C. Berkeley to remove the diseased trees and their undamaged neighbors.

University of California at Berkeley will remove 317 Monterey pine trees from the Gill Tract in Albany, Calif. Many of the trees are dead or infected with pitch canker, a fungal disease that causes pine trees to die prematurely. The canker weakens the trees, which then become more susceptible to colonization by bark beetles. Uninfected trees are in jeopardy of infestation because their “neighbors” support growing populations of beetles. Removal of diseased trees is the only effective method of dealing with the beetle infestation.

Tony Wolcott, Albany’s master arborist, said he has seen the trees and agrees with university officials that they are diseased and need to be removed.Numerous trees within the stand are clearly leaning, and a number have already fallen.

The pines were planted in 1963 as part of a research project.