Effects of pruning in the management of dogwood and pine branch dieback in the landscape

Abstract

Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) at 2 locations and dogwoods (Cornus florida L.) at 1 location were observed for branch dieback from spring 1996 through autumn 1998. Some trees at each location were comprehensively pruned to eliminate dead twigs and branches and compared to trees not pruned. Of the branch-killing fungi present, Sphaeropsis was the most important in the pines, and Discula and Botryosphaeria were the prominent ones in the dogwoods. We concluded that comprehensive pruning of branches killed by fungi significantly improves the appearance of Scots pines and dogwoods but does not totally eliminate disease from the trees.