Three winter storage temperatures, −7°C, −3°C and 0°C, were studied to determine their effects on the infection of Scots pine (Pinus syl6estris L.) seedlings by Gremmeniella abietina (Lagerb.) Morelet. Pine seedlings in the first and second growing seasons were inoculated with conidia on two different occasions during the season. After the following winter, seedlings were examined for symptoms of the disease. The seedlings overwintering at −7°C and −3°C were more diseased than those kept at 0°C. Seedling bud break was slower the lower the winter storage temperature, suggesting that growth initiating activity has a likely effect on the outbreak of disease.