Heterobasidion Root Disease Treatment Guidelines

Are you worried about HRD (formally Annosum Root Rot) in your pine plantations? 

Heterobasidion root disease causes a decay of the roots and lower stem, attacks the cambium and kills infected trees. Infected trees show thin foliage, reduced height, diameter and shoot growth and eventual mortality. Three to eight years after nearby trees are cut down, mortality of individual trees becomes noticeable. Understory seedlings and saplings that are near infected older trees may also become infected. The number of infection centers in a stand can vary widely. As these pockets of trees die, gaps are created in the forest canopy where brush and early successional trees can grow. 

Learn more about HRD on the WI DNR Website and read through their Treatment Guidelines.