1. Pitch Canker Disease Gibberella circinata ( Fusarium circinatum) Nirenberg & O'Donnell 1998 Photo courtesy of T. R. Gordon

2. Pitch Canker Large old canker on main stem Pitch canker was first identified in CA at New Brighton State Beach, Santa Cruz County in 1986. It is vectored by several species of bark, engraver, cone, twig and deathwatch beetles associated with Monterey pine, Pinus radiata Photo courtesy of Andrew Storer

3. The Source: Pine Seeds Photo courtesy of Mishobonzai Managed pine forestry is a very large and international industry. Pitch canker was found in the Southeastern US in 1946. Southeastern pine growers ship pine seed to CA in order to grow seedlings quickly and efficiently, which are then shipped back to the SE. The fungus disease survives on the seed. This is the probable origin of Pitch Canker in CA. Photos courtesy of the Temperate Forest Foundation

4. Photo Courtesy of Terry Price Photo courtesy of Donald Owen, CDF Pine Pitch Canker Symptoms Affected young sapling Strikes in a mature tree

5. Photos courtesy of T. R. Gordon fungus enters a shoot along with insect feeding and forms a canker Infected young growing shoot begins to wilt Faded needles on infected branch tipA tree with multiple infections

6. Susceptible Tree Species  Bishop Pine Pinus muricata  Coulter Pine P. coulteri  Digger Pine P. sabiniana  Knobcone PineP. attenuata  Monterey PineP. radiata  Ponderosa PineP. ponderosa  Shore PineP. contorta contorta  Torrey PineP. torreyana  Jeffrey PineP. jeffreyi (in lab tests)  Sugar PineP. lambertiana (in lab tests)  Douglas FirPseudotsuga menziesii

7. Insect Vector  Twig beetles Pityphthorus nitidulus P. pulchellus tuberculatus P. carmeli P. setosus  Cone beetle Conophthorus radiatae  Twig and Cone beetle Dernobius punctulatus  Engraver beetles CA five-spined ipsIps paraconfusus Monterey pine ipsI. mexicanus CA four-spined ipsI. plastographus Kutztown University Forest Pest University of British Columbia Ken Walker IN CAPS

8. Pitch Canker Monterey Pine Killed by Pitch Canker (Photo courtesy of T. R. Gordon Mortality Risk Map for Pitch Canker

9. What is being done? Pitch Canker Task Force: http://frap.cdf.ca.gov/pitch_canker/ Photo by T. R. Gordon Pitch canker infection on a Monterey pine branch showing resin that is typical of the tree's response to the pathogen.