The effects of dwarf mistletoe on fuel in precommercial ponderosa pine stands: Dwarf mistletoe and healthy stands were sampled by vertical planar intercept and whole tree biomass sampling techniques to measure fuel loading in ground and crown fuels. Differences in size, distribution, and vitality of fuel were shown to depend on stand structure and disease expression parameters. The effects of prescribed burning on dwarf mistletoe in ponderosa pine: Eight understory prescribed burns were examined in two locations before and after burning for changes in dwarf mistletoe vitality and distribution. Mistletoe reduction resulted from killing infected understory trees, and "pruning" dwarf mistletoe plants and infected branches from crop trees. The degree of sanitation was related to fire severity, original levels of mistletoe infection, stand structure and fuel conditions.