Decay, stains, and beetles in ice-storm-damaged forests: A review

A potential long-term threat to ice-damaged forests exists from decays, sta ins, and wood-boring insects. Damage to large branches or to the main stem can result in heartwood decay, particularly in older or less healthy trees. However, in branch stubs with a diameter of less than 7.5 cm, decay progre sses to only a limited degree. Stem damage is not usual after ice storms. H owever, sunscald is common in sugar maple stands with damaged crowns, somet imes resulting in infection by the sap rot fungus Cerrena unicolor. Fungi o f the genera Ophiostoma, Ceratocystis and Ceratocystiopsis (blue stains) ca n cause significant staining to standing timber in damaged softwood stands; however, these fungi do not cause structural damage. Bark beetles (scolyti dae) and wood-borers (buprestidae and cerambycidae), which attack damaged t rees in northeastern North America are normally secondary invaders. However , thinning of the canopy from ice damage could cause increased infestation by these insects.