As climate changes, the effects of forest diseases on forest ecosystems will change. We review knowledge of relationships between climate variables and several forest diseases, as well as current evidence of how climate, host and pathogen interactions are responding or might respond to climate change. Many forests can be managed to both adapt to climate change and minimize the undesirable effects of expected increases in tree mortality. We discuss four types of forest and disease management tactics -monitoring, forecasting, planning and mitigation -and provide case studies of yellow-cedar decline and sudden aspen decline to illustrate how forest diseases might be managed in the face of climate change. The uncertainties inherent to climate change effects can be diminished by conducting research, assessing risks, and linking results to forest policy, planning and decision making.

Dothistroma needle blight (DNB) is one of the most important diseases of pine. Although its notoriety stems from Southern Hemisphere epidemics in Pinus radiata plantations, the disease has increased in prevalence and severity in areas of the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe, during the last two decades. This increase has largely been attributed to expanded planting of susceptible hosts, anthropogenic dispersal of the causative pathogens and changes in climate conducive to disease development. The last comprehensive review of DNB was published in 2004, with updates on geographic distribution and host species in 2009. Importantly, the recognition that two species, Dothistroma septosporum and D. pini, cause DNB emerged only relatively recently in 2004. These two species are morphologically very similar, and DNA-based techniques are needed to distinguish between them. Consequently, many records of host species affected or geographic location of DNB prior to 2004 are inconclusive or even misleading. The objectives of this review were (i) to provide a new database in which detailed records of DNB from 62 countries are collated; (ii) to chart the current global distribution of D. septosporum and D. pini; (iii) to list all known host species and to consider their susceptibility globally; (iv) to collate Drenkhan et al. 410 |

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Dothistroma septosporum and D. pini are the two causal agents of Dothistroma needle blight of Pinus spp. in natural forests and plantations. Degenerate primers amplified portions of mating type genes (MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2) and chromosome walking was applied to obtain the full-length genes in both species. The mating-type-specific primers designed in this study could distinguish between the morphologically similar D. pini and D. septosporum and between the different mating types of these species. Screening of isolates from global collections of D. septosporum showed that only MAT2 isolates are present in Australian and New Zealand collections, where only the asexual form of the fungus has been found. In contrast, both mating types of D. septosporum were present in collections from Canada and Europe, where the sexual state is known. Intriguingly, collections from South Africa and the United Kingdom, where the sexual state of the fungus is unknown, included both mating types. In D. pini, for which no teleomorph is known, both mating types were present in collections from the United States. These results provided new insights into the biology and global distribution of two of the world's most important pine pathogens and should facilitate management of the diseases caused by these fungi.

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The aetiology and frequency of Phytophthora spp. in discoloured xylem tissue beneath phloem lesions was investigated in a range of broadleaved trees infected with P. ramorum, P. kernoviae, P. cambivora, P. citricola and other species. Isolation was attempted from the inner surface of 81 sterilized discoloured wood panels (6 × 4 cm) from 53 trees. Discolouration mostly extended 1-5 mm into the xylem (75%), but incursions of 6 -10 mm (10%) and 10 -25 mm (15%) were frequent. Of the wood panels, 81% yielded Phytophthora spp. In 66 cases, both a wood panel and an overlying phloem panel were sampled. In 56% of these, a Phytophthora sp. was isolated from both the wood and the phloem panel. In 23% the Phytophthora sp. was isolated from the wood panel only and in 8% from the phloem panel only. Small 'island' phloem lesions, often in linear arrays adjacent to main lesions, were a common feature of Fagus sylvatica and Quercus spp. trees infected with P. ramorum or P. kernoviae . Island lesions were often connected by underlying strips or intermittent pits of discoloured xylem in line with the wood grain. Phytophthora ramorum, P. kernoviae and other Phytophthora spp. were successfully isolated from these connecting xylem features with P. ramorum and P. kernoviae also recovered from discoloured tissue 5-25 mm below exposed xylem surfaces 24-27 months after the overlying phloem was removed. These results show that these pathogens commonly occupy xylem beneath phloem lesions; that they can perennate in xylem tissue; that they can spread in xylem tissue ahead of phloem lesions; and indicate that they may initiate new phloem lesions in this way. Such colonization must lead to at least local xylem dysfunction. It is recommended that, if xylem discoloration is present, isolation of the Phytophthora sp. should be attempted from the xylem as well as the bark; also, that removal of infected outer sapwood should be undertaken during excision of bleeding lesions for disease control and in protocols aimed at preventing national or international spread of these tree stem pathogens.

SummaryDothistroma needle blight (DNB), caused by the two fungi Dothistroma septosporum and D. pini, is a major disease of pines with a worldwide distribution. Increases in the incidence and severity of disease in areas where the disease has long been established and notable range expansions have both recently been observed. The aim of this review was to assess the relationship between DNB, weather factors and climate to better understand possible underlying causes of this recent intensification in disease. A substantial body of literature shows that the life cycles of the fungi are closely related to weather factors such as precipitation and temperature. Given the rapid response of DNB to favourable weather conditions, it seems plausible that changes in disease behaviour could be due to changes in climate. The recurrent El Niño-Southern oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon influences patterns of temperature and precipitation in many regions of the world, often resulting in warmer and wetter conditions than normal. We found that since the 1950s, four of the past five strong El Niño events appear to have coincided with reports of increased DNB activity on an intercontinental scale. The lack of long-term standardized data records limits our ability to fully interpret this relationship, but the projected future climatic conditions in the Northern Hemisphere appear to be increasingly favourable for the disease. Still, other areas of the world may become less favourable, and further research is required to be able to accurately predict DNB outbreaks and their impact on pine forests in the future.

Dothistroma needle blight (DNB), caused by Dothistroma septosporum, is the most important disease currently affecting pine plantations in Britain. Intraspecific variation in susceptibility to DNB has been observed in several pine species, but it is not clear if similar variation occurs in Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine), Britain's only native pine. In three separate experiments 2‐ and 3‐year‐old Scots pine saplings from six native Scottish populations were artificially inoculated with D. septosporum conidial suspensions and incubated under conditions optimal for disease development. Conidial suspensions were produced using a single isolate from northeast Scotland. In one experiment, plants were also treated with various spore suspension concentrations to assess the impact of inoculum load on disease severity. There were no significant interactions between host population, plant height, and experiment/inoculum load (anova, P > 0·05), but population, height and inoculum load all significantly affected disease severity (anova, P < 0·05). Among the 2‐year‐old trees, those from Amat were less susceptible than those from Glen Loyne and Glen Cannich (anova, P < 0·05). Among the 3‐year‐old trees, those from Beinn Eighe were less susceptible than those from Abernethy. Plant height and DNB susceptibility had a slightly negative relationship. The use of a spore suspension with a concentration of 1·6 × 106 spores mL−1 was optimum for disease development. In an in vitro experiment, production of conidia was greater when cultures were incubated in darkness. This paper is the first to report intraspecific variation in DNB susceptibility within Scots pine.