Quercus robur & Armillaria ostoyae thread

[Fungus]

The start of a thread where we can share our experiences with rhizomorphs, melanine plaques or sheets, mycelium and FB's of Armillaria ostoyae (or A. mellea) begins with one of the photo's, I uploaded before, from last year, of acid smelling ooze or "frothy flux", which later turns black, excreted by a common oak because of local blockage of water and nutrients transport, on which lots of insects (flies, wasps, hornets, butterflies) were feeding.

It is followed by two photo's from last week of the same tree, which has stopped oozing and lost pieces of bark at the base of the trunk, behind which the first melanine plaques are present, which is a sign of the infection of the living tissues entering its second phase.

The oozing spot from the first photo is located at the top right of the trunk in the second photo.

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[Fungus]

Next some photo's of trunks and trunk bases of an old and a veteran oak with patches of smooth bark partially or completely overgrowing the dead living tissues, which is a sign of the second phase of infection.

Although the wound on the trunk base in the first photo seems healed, the rhizomorphs or melanine covered mycelium stay active behind the callus or wound tissue layer.

The second photo shows an overview of a lane of veteran oaks, with the most affected tree front left.

The third photo shows the trunk of the veteran tree in more detail to make the smooth bark alternated with more oak specific patches of bark visible. The tree also has a not yet opened up bark and cambium necrosis caused by Fistulina hepatica to the right side of the trunk base.

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Edited August 23, 2011 by Fungus

[Fungus]

Some photo's of an oak in the end phase, which is still showing resistance with attempts to overgrow and strengthen the top of a large trunk wound with wound tissue, while being completely white rotted and hollowed by the mycelium of A. ostoyae at the trunk's base. The melanine sheets are visible on the dead wood of the trunk and at the trunk's base.

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Edited August 23, 2011 by Fungus

[Fungus]

And some photo's of an oak in its final phase, which has given up closing the melanine (and mycelium) covered dead wood in the wound and last week started panic fruiting (see last photo) with tiny infertile acorns.

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Edited August 23, 2011 by Fungus

[Fungus]

And finally some photo's of dead, but stable oaks and the further decomposition of the wood by the mycelium of A. ostoyae and other exclusively saprotrophic species of macrofungi.

Photo 1/2 : dead oak killed by A. ostoyae with Psilocybe (= Hypholoma) fascicularis fruiting on the remaining bark decomposing the not yet exposed wood with polyaromatic hydrocarbons. In picture 2, you can see, that all the oaks at this side of the lane have been infected with A. ostoyae and are in different phases of rhizomorphs attacking and damaging the trunks.

Photo 3/4/5 : dead and meanwhile crownless oak killed by A. ostoyae in overview, with remains of rhizomorphs behind the fallen off bark and of the exposed wood, which is decomposed outside in leaving a for now and (many) years to come stable "tree corpse" and a habitat for bugs and beasties behind.

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Edited August 24, 2011 by Fungus

[Fungus]

In picture 2, you can see, that all the oaks at this side of the lane have been infected with A. ostoyae and are in different phases of rhizomorphs attacking and damaging the trunks.

 

Correction, this must be the first picture. And the fast spreading of the infection in the lane was caused by rhizomorphs growing up to one metre a year towards the roots of oaks with in between root-root contact.

Edited August 24, 2011 by Fungus

[David Humphries]

And finally some photo's of dead, but stable oaks and the further decomposition of the wood by the mycelium of A. ostoyae and other exclusively saprotrophic species of macrofungi.

Photo 1/2 : dead oak killed by A. ostoyae with Psilocybe (= Hypholoma) fascicularis fruiting on the remaining bark decomposing the not yet exposed wood with polyaromatic hydrocarbons. In picture 2, you can see, that all the oaks at this side of the lane have been infected with A. ostoyae and are in different phases of rhizomorphs attacking and damaging the trunks.

Photo 3/4/5 : dead and meanwhile crownless oak killed by A. ostoyae in overview, with remains of rhizomorphs behind the fallen off bark and of the exposed wood, which is decomposed outside in leaving a for now and (many) years to come stable "tree corpse" and a habitat for bugs and beasties behind.

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Interesting set Gerrit.

 

Have the canopies been dismantled and the trees left as sticks. Or do they still have the dead branches atached?

 

Also interesting to see the height of the dead trunk(s) left standing in situe next to what looks like a well visited target area.

 

Will there be a phased reduction of the trunk(s) over time?

 

 

 

.

[Fungus]

Have the canopies been dismantled and the trees left as sticks. Or do they still have the dead branches attached? Also interesting to see the height of the dead trunk(s) left standing in situe next to what looks like a well visited target area. Will there be a phased reduction of the trunk(s) over time?

 

David,

No, in The Netherlands private owners of trees in parks and woodlands of castles and estates are not forced by law to do this, even though there still are branches attached to the partially living or dead trees. They can suffice with letting the visitors know that they enter the park at their own risk or assume people are familiar with this aspect of Dutch civil law and stay out of the park or woodland in stormy weather.

In the cases presented, trees are only dismantled if they are a threat to the public, which is not very often the case and the trees have their "natural" shapes and sizes remaining after A. ostoyae or other macrofungi and insects, birds and other animals and/or storm and strokes of lightning have done their work.

So no coronetting or other interventions takes place, one lets natural processes have their course.

Edited August 24, 2011 by Fungus

[David Humphries]

Do you perhaps have access to records of tree related fatalities/injuries in the Netherlands?

 

Does this data exist ?

 

Thanks

 

David

 

 

 

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[Fungus]

Do you perhaps have access to records of tree related fatalities/injuries in the Netherlands? Does this data exist ?

 

No, as far as these data do exist, they mostly are in the hands of insurance companies, which refuse to make them public and try to settle the damage financially before facing court procedures with counter expertises by a few of my collegues and me, unless it is in their own (financial) interest.

I do have some records with photo documentation of my own though, which I use as case studies for educational purposes.

Edited August 24, 2011 by Fungus