Arceuthobium- Part 1

This post will be brief, and it is late.  this has been a crazy summer, and I've had limited internet access.

A couple of weeks ago, my boyfriend and I drove down through forests on the east slopes of the Cascade mountains into Eastern Oregon toward the desert.  As we went through the transition from wet to dry forests, we drove through stands of Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine.

Having a bit of a timber background, I'm always mindful of the health of the trees around me.  The Douglas Firs were heavily infected with Arceuthobium douglasii, a parasite that I've mentioned before.  It forces trees to grow brooms, some of which can look a bit like the mutations that I'm looking for.  Usually, you don't see these brooms in isolation.  Arceuthobium species are small parasitic plants that spread through stands of trees aggressively.

I've always thought that it would be unfortunate if a good mutation were hidden among such infections-  you'd never see it.

I happened to spot this tree by the side of the highway.  The Douglas Firs all around it were filled with mistletoe infections, so this one is most likely congested because of that.  It sure looks like a handsome and compact specimen- with the exception of one normal branch.

Is this tree the good mutation in the forest of disease?  I may have to graft it up and observe it in order to find out...