Genetic screening to speed up search for resilient pines in Tahoe
By Carolyn Wilke, Sacramento Bee
A recent report by UC Davis gave a grim assessment on the health of forests around Lake Tahoe.
The threats facing them include white pine blister rust, an invasive fungus, and bark beetles, an insect that attacks trees. And both of these were exacerbated by the recent drought. From 2015 to 2016, tree mortality more than doubled, from 35,000 to 72,000.
Blister rust has hit sugar pine trees hard. They’re the largest species of pine, with enormous pine cones, and they grow at low elevations.