WVII reports on research aimed at improving health of white pine trees
WVII (Channel 7) reported University of Maine researchers are concerned about the health of eastern white pine trees due to a native fungal pathogen that has increasingly damaged the trees throughout New England. The research team, led by William Livingston, associate director of the UMaine School of Forest Resources, and Kara Costanza, a Ph.D. candidate in forest resources, has found the fungus to be most severe in trees that are stressed or weakened due to a changing climate. The researchers say landowners should be proactive and thin damaged trees from their land, WVII reported. “If you’re willing to let half your trees die, then that’s fine with you. But if you want to capture the value of those trees then manage the forest, and you will be able to capture the trees that otherwise would be killed by this fungus,” Livingston said.