What's eating my alerce?

Alerce is remarkably resistant to insect attack — its dense, resinous wood is essentially immune to borers in its living state. The overwhelming threats to this ancient conifer are human-caused: logging, fire, and habitat loss. In garden cultivation, Phytophthora root rot in waterlogged soils is the only notable biological risk.

Root and crown decay in poorly drained soils; wilting, yellowing foliage and eventual death; not well-documented on this species but a risk factor for all Cupressaceae in waterlogged ground. Plant on freely draining slopes or raised beds; avoid heavy clay; phosphonate preventive drench; do not overwater.

Bark boring on stressed or damaged trees; frass at entry holes; larval galleries disrupt vascular tissue. Keep trees healthy and avoid drought stress; remove and destroy dead wood; insecticide trunk sprays as a last resort on high-value specimens.