Here’s some more information about that fungal infection on the North Fork that is turning a lot of young lodgepole pine red . . .
A sea of red trees in the North Fork Flathead River drainage is an alarming view if you’re thinking “beetle kill,” but it’s not.
The recent, widespread reddening is only the temporary work of a needle cast fungus called Lophodermella, according to Heidi Trechsel, silviculturist with the Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District.
“It’s really common in lodgepole, which was what it’s hitting up there,” Trechsel said. “Because it’s a fungus, it likes high humidity and wet springs like we’ve been having the last couple years. It’s most frequently seen on the young trees, the seedlings and saplings.”