Why is Mistletoe a Kiss Goodbye for White Spruce?
Story posted August 03, 2009 While a lip-lock may result from a chance meeting beneath a sprig of mistletoe, its encounter with a spruce tree can be the kiss of death. The parasitic eastern dwarf mistletoe is a clingy and dangerous consort. It latches onto its host and slowly drains its life force — killing it in 10 to 20 years. Over the past quarter century, it has had a profound effect on the white spruce forests common along the coast of Maine.
