On this white pine, you can see on the lower left a branch recently killed by blister rust; on the lower right is a branch that is slightly off-color. The off-color branch also had a canker but it had not yet completely girdled the branch. Photo: Linda Williams
By Linda Williams, forest health specialist, Woodruff. Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov; 715-356-5211 x232
White pine blister rust is a fungus that causes cankers on white pine. The cankers can girdle and kill branches or the main stem of the tree. White pine blister rust infections create “dead spots” or cankers that continue to expand each year on the branches or main stem. Eventually, orange pustules develop which erupt around the edges of the canker; this is how the fungus reproduces. Continue reading “White pine blister rust”
