Infectious forest diseases

Abstract This book reviews the most serious infectious diseases in both forest and urban environments, and in landscape settings, and provides practical guidelines for their management based upon both basic and applied scientific research. It was conceived as a comprehensive reference manual for biotic forest diseases, dealing not only with the better known fungal and fungal-like pathogens, but also with viruses, phytoplasmas, bacteria, higher parasitic plants and nematodes. Following the opening two chapters of Part I, which cover concepts of epidemiology and the management of disease in forests, the book is divided into four further parts. Part II has four chapters on non-fungal infectious diseases, and Part III has 20 chapters on diseases caused by fungi or fungal-like organisms, which are logically arranged on the basis of the tree tissues attacked: root and butt tots, stem rots, vascular diseases, cankers, branch and tip blights, foliar diseases, and then the highly important oomycete and rust diseases. Part IV, with one chapter, covers diseases in forest nurseries. Finally, Part V, also with one chapter, focuses on invasive alien species (introduced pathogens), which figure among the greatest threats to the integrity of forest ecosystems worldwide.