LABORATORY STUDIES ON MICROFUNGI ISOLATED FROM THE STEMS OF LIVING LODGEPOLE PINE, PINUS CONTORTA DOUGL.

Abstract

Fungus isolation attempts, made from samples taken at 2-ft intervals in the stems of 40 lodgepole pines (Pinus contorta Dougl.), gave 1362 cultures. Sample trees were located at two sites and averaged 82.5 and 63.9 years of age. In malt agar culture Tympanis hypopodia Nyl. and the Coryne sarcoides complex were slightly antagonistic to Stereum pini (Schleich. ex Fr.) Fr. Both microfungi caused small weight losses in pine wood blocks and, when inoculated in advance on test blocks, reduced the decay caused by S. pini. Retinocyclus abietis (Crouan) Groves & Wells caused no weight loss but increased the decay attributable to S. pini. Tympanis hypopodia and C. sarcoides complex were more or less restricted to the lower heartwood of the trees. There was some evidence of a succession of fungi in the trees.