Fraser fir. Photo: Bill Cook, Michigan State University, Bugwood.orgFrom the Statesman Journal:
Dozens of headlines last week have claimed that a humble mold is threatening to ruin Christmas. CBS News and the Associated Press reported that phytophthora root disease is killing Christmas trees across the country.
However, contrary to the reports, experts in Oregon, the nation’s top Christmas tree producer, say the threat posed by root rot is relatively small.
Root rot is a tree disease caused by a variety of water molds, which produce swimming spores that can spread through poorly drained soil.
An aggressive species of phytophthora mold is a serious problem for Christmas tree farmers who grow Fraser firs in North Carolina. A native species of phytophthora mold does affect some Noble firs in the Northwest.
Gary Chastagner, a tree disease expert at Washington State University, says most Christmas tree farmers in Oregon have been able to manage the disease without major losses by planting Douglas firs and other disease-resistant evergreens in wetter areas.
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