Plant Diseases

Plant diseases occur everywhere that plants grow. Diseases are caused by pathogens and may develop with favorable environmental conditions and susceptible host plants. Diseases from forest pathogens are a leading cause of tree mortality and lost productivity in forests worldwide. Climate change, forest management practices, and global trade in plants and timber products have wide-ranging effects on the ecology and spread of forest pathogen populations. A comprehensive and holistic understanding of disease and pathogen processes is crucial for developing proactive management practices that mitigate the impacts of forest pathogens and improve forest health and resilience. 

Rocky Mountain Research Station research themes on plant diseases and forest pathogens include:

• Understanding how disease spreads and developing novel disease detection tools
• Influence of climate, disturbance, and other environmental factors on tree hosts and forest pathogens
• Co-developing and testing management strategies to reduce the spread and impact of pathogens and their associated diseases