Wilder musings on tree diseases

A number of years ago I watched a nature series. I think it was one 
of the series that had an accompanying book. The theme as I recall 
was all the unusual places where life is found.  The commentator went 
up in a hotair balloon, taking samples at different heights.  At the 
highest level he was able to go, he found various small things like 
spores, pollen and such.  Does anyone remember exactly what?

At the time, I thought that the same ferns and mosses could grow all 
around the world, the spores spreading via the jet stream. I wonder 
at what point stuff drops earthward?  Or does it just stay up there 
contributing to global warming?

It also would be a very effective way of spreading tree diseases, 
particularly fungal ones which have wind-spread spores.  So running 
travellers through antifungus, like sheep going through a dip, might 
be totally useless.  (It's horrible enough to be sprayed with 
insecticide when flying to Australia and New Zealand.)

Diane Whitehead
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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