Past forest management promoted root disease in Yosemite Valley

Abstract

Root disease is one of the most important vegetation-management considerations in Yosemite Valley. Large trees with root decay have fallen in the valley causing human fatalities and property damage. Many of the problems associated with root disease in Yosemite Valley can be traced back to the area's history of vegetation management. Wildfire suppression and meadow draining were implemented after the arrival of Euroamericans in the mid-19th century. These practices created conditions that encouraged the development of a dense conifer forest within the valley. Tree removals for vista clearance, campground and lodging construction, and bark beetle control projects created thousands of stumps. Many of these stumps have been infected with spores of Heter-obasidion annosum, a fungal pathogen that causes root decay in conifers. The fungus has since spread from initial infection sites into the surrounding forest, creating hundreds of enlarging tree mortality gaps. Park resource managers have established a program of hazardous-tree removal, but efforts to restore natural ecosystem processes must be continuously reconciled with public safety.