Forestry agent Janet Steele recently looked at a stand of planted loblolly pine in Orangeburg County. The landowner called because many of his trees were covered in orange growth. Janet had never seen anything like it before and sent it to the plant diagnostic lab. It is a green algae, Trentepohlia. It has an orange color because of all the carotenoids that cover up the green from its chlorophyll. It was only growing on the north side of the trees in the stand, which is very typical. Also, it is more common in moist environments like the mountains but with all the rain the region has gotten the last month or two its has been able to grow and spread in this stand. Forestry agent Tom Brant has also seen it in his region.
