Cronartium ribicola exhibits a very complex lifecycle that requires as many as four years and a second host to be completed. The other host for the fungus may be any of several different types of currants or gooseberries. Accordingly, if these plants grow in close proximity to pines, serious timber losses can be incurred. In an attempt to help stem the spread of white pine blister rust, many states passed laws over the course of the twentieth century prohibiting or restricting the cultivation of certain species of the plants, though they have since been repealed in some areas.