Rivanna Chapter

Virginia Master Naturalists

 

Serving the
Central Piedmont of Virginia


Useful Websites for the Study of Trees


8. Tree Health

  1. Forest Health Web Sites
    A section of Jim Worall’s “forestpathology.org” website, this page lists sites which he describes as of “general interest related to forest pathology and entomology,” and as such, the page could serve as an entry point for anyone interested in tree health. Each listing also serves as a link to the external site. Categories covered include: government agencies; scientific societies and North American regional groups; universities and extension services; mycology; and web sites on specific disease types.
    While on this page, which is essentially a referral service, you can click on “forestpathology.org” and find the extensive material available on the home site, which itself covers a host of topics, ranging from fungi, root diseases, cankers, etc., through invasive species, disease profiles, and disease notes.
    The site is very up-to-date, having been revised as of March, 2008. Highly recommended.

  2. Texas Plant Disease Handbook
    Offered by the Texas A & M Dept. of Plant Pathology and Microbiology. The link connects you with the home page for their handbook. Once there, click on “Main Menu,” and then on “Trees.” That is followed by a page for each species or group of related species (nineteen pages in all), with a list of the diseases most likely to attack it. Each disease entry includes a discussion of such things as how the disease is contracted, what the symptoms are, and how it should be treated.

  3. Shigo on Tree Systems
    This site features articles written by Dr. Alex Shigo, a tree biologist who worked as chief scientist for the US Forest Service. Articles on tree autopsies, tree survival, the science behind tree treatments, “What Arborists Need to Know About Lichens,” etc. There is a very extensive dictionary for terms related to trees; tree pests; tree diseases and treatment; and related topics. It can be accessed by clicking on “Dictionary MAIN PAGE” at the bottom of the webpage. The dictionary alone is well worth a look.

  4. Tree Decline: What Is It?
    This is an online version of a University of Missouri Extension publication. Although it is aimed toward the homeowner, the discussion of the causes of tree decline is useful, as is the review of symptoms of decline.

  5. Forest and Tree Health Publications
    This webpage is a listing of USDA Forest Service leaflets about forest insects and diseases. Clicking on the listing for a publication brings up an electronic version of the leaflet.

  6. The Tree Bark Pages
    A good self-description: “This site was designed to provide a place to learn about the anatomy and physiology of tree bark, fungal canker diseases that affect tree bark, the wound responses of injured tree bark, and the role of wound responses in the resistance of living tree bark to wound pathogens.” One caution: Although this site is a top-of-the-line source on anything related to tree bark, it is intended for the professional more than a younger or general audience. The description of anatomy and physiology is highly technical; the sections on wound responses and fungal canker diseases, at the time of this writing, are still under construction.

  7. Arbor Day Foundation
    Although this site is, in general, a disappointment, the “Tree Health Guide” portion is a strong section, with links to information on a variety of current plant and pest issues. Aside from that, the site has a distinct commercial orientation toward selling trees, books, etc. The “Tree Guide” portion lists promising topics in addition to the “Tree Health Guide”--topics such as “Layers of the Forest,” “Tree Classification,” “Types of Swamps,” and “Anatomy of a Tree,” but most are brief and superficial

  8. American Chestnut Recovery (Note: A special section is devoted to American Chestnuts because of their immense historic, economic, and environmental importance, and because Virginia plays a central role in restoration efforts. As the American Chestnut Cooperators’ Foundation says on its website, “In the first 40 years of the 20th century, blight destroyed 3.5 billion American chestnuts. [Chestnut trees made up a fourth of the entire forest in their range.] What had been the most important tree in our Eastern forest was reduced to insignificance. No comparable devastation of a species exists in recorded history.”)