The Forestry Forum

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The site is located in Clare county (upper LP of Michigan)
The owner lives in Warren.   (an area I cover)
 
He has been planting trees on old ag fields for 10 years or so.
According to him a few years ago, in spring he noticed a "bruising" of the bark on his silver maples (about 8 yrs old), then the new growth turn black and wilted, it progess the same year down the tree branches killing all the leaves.  Then he could easily peel off the bark, noticing a mush that resembled baby food.  A month or so later the tree dried up, the braches died and snapped off easily.  The next year he only had epicormic brancing at the base.  
The next year it spread to young oaks and northern spies in the near vicinity.  The apples were 8-9 ft tall with 2" dbh.  Black walnuts near the vicinity were unharmed.
has anyone come across something this aggressive and can spread cross species, and if so do they know what it is?
 
Also, has anyone seen diplodia hit white pine?  They are supposedly immune, but these have very similar symptoms.
This blight has been rampant in Oakland and Macomb counties for some time now.

Sounds like cytopsora canker to me, caused by various fungal species. But the disease does not spread between species. Rusts though, generally have alternate hosts, like the cedar-apple-rust or white pine blister rust. Apple rust has a stage on apples and roses and another stage on junipers and red cedar.

Cytospora canker  (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/02937.html)

 Cedar apple rust  (http://gardenline.usask.ca/fruit/rust.html)

 White pine blister rust  (http://www.forestpathology.org/dis_wpbr.html)
White pine gets blister rust where ever you have currants and gooseberries near by. There are 5 spore stages in the life cycle of this rust.

Thanks, SD.  Most welcome info! :)

no problemo makemesoup

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