Description:
Arborists and foresters conducting tree risk assessments need to
a) know what to look for, and
b) know what they are looking at.
Fungi affecting trees show considerable variability in form and their ability to cause decay. Part of that variability is driven by the species of tree and fungus, the age and vigour of the tree, the extent of the fungal attack and associated decay, and the ability of the tree to compartmentalize the invading pathogens. Understanding the CODIT process is integral to understanding where decay may be within the tree. Minimizing bark scaring from park or forest management activities reduces the creation of fungal infection courts that threaten long-term tree health.
Improve your tree disease field assessment skills in this all-day class at Sunnyside Forest and Rotary Field House located at the South Surrey Recreation Center complex. Morning lectures for 2.5 hours will cover visual assessment techniques for disease, using a combination of signs and symptoms of common diseases in native PNW trees. Lunch will be included.
In the afternoon, we will be outdoors for 3 hours examining diseases of Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western red cedar, bigleaf maple, and Pacific madrone. The types of wood decay, fungus fruiting bodies, as well as structural and risk implications will be discussed, and sonic tomography and resistance drilling will be demonstrated as examples of advanced risk assessment techniques.
The diseases to be covered will include Phaeolus schweinitzii, Heterobasidion occidentale, Armillaria ostoyae, Porodaedalea pini, Kretzschmeria deusta, Phellinus sulphurascens, Neofusicoccum arbuti and others.
This course will be of use to anyone interested in tree diseases, and particularly anyone conducting risk assessment of trees with disease.