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Insect and Disease Identification
There are a variety of insects and diseases that can cause damage and/or mortality to trees in the Spokane region. The SCCD is here to assist you in identifying the problem and recommending actions to prevent it from spreading.
Below is a list of common trees in the region and the insects and diseases that infest them. Additional information on each of these and how to identify them can be found through:
For assistance with tree insects and diseases, contact a professional arborist or the SCCD Forester, Alan Hawson at (509) 535-7274.
Common Trees, Insects and Diseases in the Spokane Region
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Ponderosa Pine (Pinus Ponderosa):
Needles are in bundles of threes. They are five
to ten inches long and form tuffs at the end of branches. Cones
are three to six inches in length. This tree grows 150' to
180' tall', 3 to 4' in diameter at maturity. This is the primary
pine species in and around the Spokane area. A hardy drought
tolerant tree commonly referred to as bull pine or yellow pine.
Primary
insects:
Ips beetle or pine engraver (bark borer)
Western pine beetle (bark borer)
Red turpentine beetle (bark borer)
Mountain pine beetle (bark borer)
White pine weevil
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Primary
diseases:
Annosus root rot
Armillaria root rot
Black pine leaf scale
Elyctroderma needle cast
Lophodermella needle cast
Phytophthora root rot
Pine needle scale
Red band needle blight
Pine dwarf mistletoe
Western gall rust
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Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga
menziesii):
Needles are formed like a bottlebrush 1" to 1.5" in
length. Cones are
3" to 4" in length. This tree grows 250' tall, 8' in diameter at
its greatest size. Douglas fir is found throughout the northwest, highly prevalent
on the northwest coast.
Primary
insects:
Douglas fir beetle
Douglas fir tussock moth
Douglas fir needle midge
Douglas fir twig weevil
Cooley spruce gall adelgid
Western spruce budworm
Spruce bud aphid
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Primary
diseases:
Armillaria root rot
Black stain root disease
Annosus root rot
Schweinitzii root and butt rot
Laminated root rot
White pine blister rust
Red band needle blight
Rhabdocline needle cast
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Lodgepole Pine (Pinus Contorta):
Needles in bundles of 2, 1" to 3" in length. Cones
are 1" to 2" in length. This tree grows 20' to 50'
tall. Cones open when exposed to severe heat (fire).
Primary
insects:
Ips beetle or pine engraver (bark borer)
Western pine beetle (bark borer)
Red turpentine beetle (bark borer)
Mountain pine beetle (bark borer)
White pine weevil
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Primary
diseases:
Armillaria root rot
Black stain root disease
Annosus root rot
Schweinitzii root rot
Laminated root rot
Western gall rust
Red belt fungus
Pine dwarf mistletoe
Lodgepole pine needle casts
Red band needle blight
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Western White Pine (Pinus Monticola):
Needles are in bundles of 5, 3" to 5" in
length. Cones slightly curved 5" to 15" in length.
This tree grows to 100' to 175" tall, 2' to 5' in diameter.
Primary
insects:
Ips beetle or pine engraver (bark borer)
Western pine beetle (bark borer)
Red turpentine beetle (bark borer)
Mountain pine beetle (bark borer)
White pine weevil
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Primary
diseases:
White pine blister rust
Lophodermella needle cast
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Western Larch (Larix Occidentalis):
Needles are 1" to 1.5" in length. Cones
.8" to 1.3" in length, ovoid shaped. This tree grows
150' tall, 3' to 4' in diameter. *This tree is deciduous.
Primary
insects:
Douglas fir beetle
Western spruce budworm
Larch bud moth
Larch sawfly
Larch casebearer
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Primary
diseases:
Larch canker
Larch dwarf mistletoe
Larch needle blight
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Engelmann Spruce (Picea Engelmannii):
Needles are .3" to .5" in length,
prickly. Cones are 1" to 3" long. This tree grows
100' to 125' tall, 1' to 3' in diameter.
Primary
insects:
Coolley spruce gall adelgid
Douglas fir tussock moth
Spruce aphid
Spruce spider mite
White pine weevil
Balsam twig aphid
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Primary
diseases:
Rhizospheria needle cast
Spruce needle cast
Schweinitzii root and butt rot
Brown heart rot
Redbelt fungus
Spruce broom rust
Cytospora canker
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Western Hemlock (Tsuga Heterophylla):
Needles are .3" to .7" in length.
Cones are. 8" to 1" in length this tree grows 125'
to 175' tall, 2' to 5' in diameter.
Primary
insects:
Ambrosia beetle
Fir engraver
Western spruce budworm
Western hemlock looper
Pine butterfly
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Primary
diseases:
Phomopsis canker
Annosus root rot
White pocket rot
Armillaria root rot
Red belt fungus
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Grand Fir (Abies Grandis):
Needles are .5" to 2" in length, flat
and blunt. Cones are 2" to 4" in length, cylindrical.
This tree grows 125' to 150' tall, 2' to 4' in diameter.
Primary
insects:
Balsam twig aphid
Douglas fir twig weevil
Western spruce budworm
Balsam woolly adelgid
Douglas fir tussock moth
Ambrosia beetle
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Primary
diseases:
Armillaria root rot
Uredinopsis needle rust
Groveesiella canker
Armillaria root rot
Laminated root rot
Indian paint fungus
White pocket rot
Dwarf mistletoe
Fir broom rust
Lirula needle cast
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Western Red Cedar (Thuja Plicata):
Needles are scaled in alternate pairs. Cones
are .5" to 1" in length, this tree grows 150' to
200' tall 3' to 8' in diameter.
Primary
insects:
Sequoia pitch moth
Ambrosia beetle
Gouty pitch midge
Western pine shoot borer
Western spruce budworm
Pine looper
Elegant weevil
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Primary
diseases:
Dwarf mistletoe
Cedar brown pocket rot
Laminated root rot
Western gall rust
Elytroderma needle cast
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Aspens, Cottonwoods and Other Poplars (Populus
Spp.):
About 15 species of poplars (cottonwoods) and
aspens are native to North America. All have broad, usually
coarsely toothed alternate leaves with long stems the seed
Bering capsules are 3- to 4-valved, 0.3" in length. Theses
trees grow between 50' to 125' tall, 2' to 4' in diameter,
the aspen being on the low end of this scale.
Primary
insects:
Poplar borer
Lettuce root aphid
Carpenter worm
Saltin moth
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Primary
diseases:
Oyster shell scale
Melampsora needle scale
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