I have seen the orange wood in a local woodlot, and foresters refer to it as “pumpkin wood”.  There is no apparent relation to infectious disease or tree health.  The coloration just seems to be peculiar to white pine in certain stands and locations.

Bill Livingston

From: rg70200-forpath-bounces@lists.iufro.org [mailto:rg70200-forpath-bounces@lists.iufro.org] On Behalf Of Marra, Robert
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2012 1:45 PM
To: rg70200-forpath@lists.iufro.org
Subject: [IUFRO RG 7.02 FORPATH] orange stain in white pines

Hello Forpathers,

The following pictures were taken from recently felled white pines in a small area on water company property experiencing some severe dieback.  This is a very dense stand, heavily overcrowded and large, maybe 60-80 years old, having obviously never had a thinning.  So they’re stressed.  But when I had one of the foresters fell a couple of trees so we could look for any signs of disease, we noticed this bright orange staining.   I don’t have any reason to believe that this orange staining is the cause of the dieback, since it’s not common to all the trees that are dying, but it’s a curiosity worth inquiring about.  The orange color was most strikingly vivid when the trees were first cut.

Thanks,

Bob

Robert E. Marra, Ph.D.

Forest Pathologist

Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology

Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

123 Huntington Street, P.O. Box 1106

New Haven CT 06504-1106

http://www.ct.gov/caes/cwp/view.asp?a=2812&q=394858

E-mail: robert.marra@ct.gov<mailto:robert.marra@ct.gov>

Phone:  (203) 974-8508

Fax:  (203) 974-8502

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