White pines, Ribes, and blister rust: a review and synthesis

Abstract

For over a century, white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) has linked white pines (Strobus) with currants and gooseberries (Ribes) in a complex and serious disease epidemic in Asia, Europe, and North America. Because of ongoing changes in climate, societal demands for forests and their amenities, and scientific advances in genetics and proteomics, our current understanding and management of the white pine blister rust pathosystem has become outdated. Here, we present a review and synthesis of international scope on the biology and management of blister rust, white pines, Ribes, and other hosts. In this article, we provide a geographical and historical background, describe the taxonomy and life cycle of the rust, discuss pathology and ecology, and introduce a series of invited papers. These review articles summarize the literature on white pines, Ribes, and blister rust with respect to their status, threats, and management through genetics and silviculture. Although the principal focus is on North America, the different epidemics in Europe and Asia are also described. In the final article, we discuss several of the key observations and conclusions from the preceding review articles and identify prudent actions for research and management of white pine blister rust.

Community Structure, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services in Treeline Whitebark Pine Communities: Potential Impacts from a Non-Native Pathogen

“…In the Greater Yellowstone Area, infection at the Line Creek study area was comparable to levels generally within subalpine communities (Table 5) [83]. The outlook for blister rust in North America is continued spread and regional intensification throughout the collective ranges of whitebark pine and other five-needle white pines [15,86].…”

“…Repeated surveys on permanent plots indicate widespread infection in both the Central Rocky Mountains and Northern Rocky Mountains and tree mortality from the disease [83,84]. White pine blister rust is present across all regions at treeline but at low incidence at the northern and southern distributional limits, where climatic conditions are less favorable for the disease (Table 5) [85,86].…”

“…Repeated surveys on permanent plots indicate widespread infection in both the Central Rocky Mountains and Northern Rocky Mountains and tree mortality from the disease [83,84]. White pine blister rust is present across all regions at treeline but at low incidence at the northern and southern distributional limits, where climatic conditions are less favorable for the disease (Table 5) [85,86]. The highest incidences of blister rust in subalpine whitebark pine communities occur in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (e.g., Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks) [81], where high treeline infection levels also reflect these trends (Table 5).…”

Regeneration Niche of Whitebark Pine in the Canadian Rocky Mountains: The Basis to Restoring an Endangered Species

“…White pine blister rust (Smith et al, 2008;McKinney et al, 2009;Geils et al, 2010) and mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae; Logan et al, 2010;Raffa et al, 2013) have drastically increased mortality and lowered reproduction of this species. In addition, increased fire return intervals have resulted in a reduction in the open sites thought to be necessary for regeneration and a concomitant increase in competition from later-successional conifers (Murray et al, 1998(Murray et al, , 2000Arno, 2001).…”

Foreword: Innovation and dedication underpin management of sudden oak death (Phytophthora ramorum) in California and Oregon forests

“…Despite mixed success in terms of pathogen eradication or suppression, these efforts comprise the most comprehensive fight against a forest pathogen in the U.S. since the campaigns, from about 1915 -1970, to remove Ribes to control white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) (Maloy 1997, Geils et al 2010.…”