Is this Dwarf Mistletoe??

[ArtB]

Had 2 Western Hemlocks in the 'back 4' die this Spring. Every branch looked like lichen, attachment is typical, every branch covered, saw WA state and BC web sites refer to the branches as 'widows brooms'.

Is the photo dwarf mistletoe? Knocked some bark off and verifeid dryness of both 22" DBH trees to be sure they were dead before I dropped them today.

One webwite also said that the strenght properties of WH is degraded if due to DM. Is that true, anyone have any idea of allowable structural properties remaining? Going to use the logs for a small barn, will test for strength if need be.

Thanks.

 

[smokechase II]

hemlock mistletoe

I don't know beans about mistletoe in hemlock.
So take this with a grain of salt.

That does look very much like the D M we see locally in our Pines and a few other species in Eastern Oregon. (Go to oaks in Western Oregon and you get the larger Xmas varieties).
I've been taught that the DMistletoes are generally species specific. Usually, the Lodgepole one doesn't cross over to Ponderosa and vice versa.

I don't believe it weakens the wood at all. If it is still green.
Although in the witch’s brooms, you see where the limbs that are infected swell up.
If a significant infection occurs, they usually kill the tree in slow motion.

You may be able to prune away infected limbs, do what a guy would do - burn them.

It used to be that fire controlled mistletoe infections. There is the possibility that your infection could owe part of its blame to a century of fire suppression. Mistletoe has always been here, just not as prevalent as now.

I've been taught that the DM seed often spread down in a cone shape, for the most part. Wind and birds can take them further and even up.
In a healthy Ponderosa, with just a couple mistletoe lower limbs, we see those trees outgrow the infection. But we would still cut the limbs out if we had our druthers.

Hemlock is not that great a structural wood to start with.

 

[smokechase II]

lichens

The whitish stuff is lichens.

The other greenish skinny things with small leaf like ends looks to be mistletoe.