Black Stain Root Disease of Conifers (FIDL)

The black stain fungus?Leptographium wageneri (Kendrick) Wingfield*?infects and kills several species of western conifers. The fungus colonizes water-conducting tissues of the host's roots, root collars, and lower stems, ultimately blocking the movement of water to foliage. Severely infected trees exhibit wilting symptoms characteristic of vascular wilt diseases. Black stain kills young trees within a year or two of infection. Older infected trees decline more slowly (over 2 to 8 years) and are often predisposed to bark beetle infestation.