The movement of white pine blister rust into this country first occurred on saplings brought over from Europe. Its subsequent spread from state to state was caused by both wind-spread spores and sapling transplantation. Seeing as the disease spreads farthest by human transportation of infected saplings, it can be somewhat controlled by laws.
Laws are a major component of management and ecological control.
Since Ribes nigrum is a large threat to the spread of WPBR, laws were slowly created to aid its destruction. Almost all states affected by WPBR have some kind of law regarding either white pine transportation or the encouragement of currant growth. Several laws regulate the management of forest containing white pine. The Multiple Use Act of 1960 required that natural areas be managed for many uses, ranging from recreation to logging. These laws do not directly instruct us regarding blister rust, but they do suggest that it has to be managed.