1999 road-plot survey of dwarf mistletoe and comandra blister rust diseases of lodgepole pine on the Bighorn National Forest

"In 1999, a road-plot survey of dwarf mistletoe and comandra blister rust diseases‍ was conducted in lodgepole pine stands on the Bighorn National Forest. An‍ increase in dwarf mistletoe disease incidence and a reduction of comandra blister rust disease incidence were found during this study. Reports from‍ previous road-plot surveys reported dwarf mistletoe incidence in this area as‍ 31% (Hawksworth 1958) and 36% (Johnson et al. 1979). Survey data from this 1999 study indicated a conservative estimate of 44% of lodgepole pines near the roads was infected with dwarf mistletoe. Variable-radius plots were installed at‍ three-mile intervals along the roads to evaluate the lodgepole pine for dwarf‍ mistletoe and comandra blister rust diseases. Dwarf mistletoe and/or comandra‍ blister rust infect over 86% of the lodgepole pines along the roads of the Bighorn National Forest. Greater emphasis on suppression work for these two diseases on the Bighorn National Forest would reduce these disease incidences and‍ promote improved forest health."