By Nate Seltenrich
Courtesy of the Sierra Club
The Fraser fir is the ideal Christmas tree. Fragrant, strong-limbed and long-lasting when cut, it has found its way to the White House's Blue Room more than any other tree over the past 50 years. It is also a vector to the most destructive plant pathogen you've never heard of.
The shapely Fraser fir, a southern Appalachian native now farmed extensively in nurseries, is a common carrier - and victim - of Phytophthora cinnamomi, a deadly water mold wreaking havoc on ecosystems around the world. When infected Frasers are replanted, the disease gets an opportunity to spread to new farms and neighboring plant life.
Read the rest of the article in the Bandera County Courier
No comments:
Post a Comment