Fusiform rust of loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and slash (P. elliottii var. elliottii Engelm.) pines is one of the most damaging forest tree diseases in the United States. It is found from Maryland south to Florida and west to Texas and Arkansas, but rust incidence is highest in a corridor from central South Carolina to southern Louisiana (Figure lA, B) (34). In this area, key man agement decisions from the seedling stage to final harvest are influenced by the intensity of this disease. Many land-owning companies have lost thou sands of acres of young plantations, and forest survey reports show almost 30% of all planted loblolly pines in the 14-inch-diameter class have poten tially lethal stem infections (49). Updating a 1975 estimate (49) to current dollars indicates losses due to product degrade alone, excluding the impact of mortality, of approximately $75 million annually.
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Powers et al. (1981) studied this question.