Fungi ID on Atlas cedar trunk

[Treeation]

Hi All, My client found this fungi emerge on the trunk of a very large Atlas cedar over the last week. The tree has been in poor health for the last year, the crown density has reduced and some tip dieback. 

 

I cant quite put my finger on the id of it. Any ideas?

[Treeation]

[David Humphries]

Looks a bit like Coniophora puteana

 

 

[Mick Dempsey]

The Hump is the expert of course, but as an observer of cedars for many years I’ve never seen one come back from that degree of dieback/thin crown.

 

There’s one I’ve been watching for 5 years now, slow decline, customer in denial.

 

[AJStrees]

looks to me like there is a sort of bund around the tree holding water in. Or is the photo misleading. If it is wet rot then there is potentially too much water in the ground. Cedars don't like soggy soil from what I know and do best in a well drained soil. 

 

also what are those boxes look like electrical boxes at the base of the tree?

 

Potentially in the more recent past landscaping has included bulking soil up around the tree causing the area to remain wet throughout the winter. Only a guess from the photos you have posted. 

 

 

[Treeation]

15 hours ago, David Humphries said:

Looks a bit like Coniophora puteana

 

 

Thanks David........not a fungus I am familiar with, what would you suggest the signifance of that would be? Do you think its just a result of a mild and wet stint of weather and susbsuquent surface mould or is there soemthing going on at a deeper level?

[Treeation]

14 hours ago, AJStrees said:

looks to me like there is a sort of bund around the tree holding water in. Or is the photo misleading. If it is wet rot then there is potentially too much water in the ground. Cedars don't like soggy soil from what I know and do best in a well drained soil. 

 

also what are those boxes look like electrical boxes at the base of the tree?

 

Potentially in the more recent past landscaping has included bulking soil up around the tree causing the area to remain wet throughout the winter. Only a guess from the photos you have posted. 

 

 

Hi there, the tree does sit upon a bank with a small stream below so the soil probably remains fairly moist especially at this time of the year when the water table is high. I imagine the majority of the root plate is on higher and better drained ground. The tree apparently has always flourished until the last year or so. I also, took samples of foliage and sent off to Forest Research for lab testing with Sirococcus tsugae in mind but the surprisingly the results showed no positive sign of the pathogen although from my observations of the discloured foliage and possible small black fruiting bodies on the underside of the twigs and Atlas cedar being particulalry susceptible to the pathogen I was sure that it was Sirococcus tsugae.

[Treeation]

15 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

The Hump is the expert of course, but as an observer of cedars for many years I’ve never seen one come back from that degree of dieback/thin crown.

 

There’s one I’ve been watching for 5 years now, slow decline, customer in denial.

 

Thanks Mick, I would be surprised also if it did come back, I was advised by Forestry Research that it would be worth giving the tree a bit more time as if  the crown thinning was from Sirococcus tsugae then cedars do have some potential to improve. Its a tricky one as the tree is a very prominent tree in its hamlet and I dont want to make any rash decisions.

[AJStrees]

53 minutes ago, Treeation said:

Hi there, the tree does sit upon a bank with a small stream below so the soil probably remains fairly moist especially at this time of the year when the water table is high. I imagine the majority of the root plate is on higher and better drained ground. The tree apparently has always flourished until the last year or so. I also, took samples of foliage and sent off to Forest Research for lab testing with Sirococcus tsugae in mind but the surprisingly the results showed no positive sign of the pathogen although from my observations of the discloured foliage and possible small black fruiting bodies on the underside of the twigs and Atlas cedar being particulalry susceptible to the pathogen I was sure that it was Sirococcus tsugae.

might be worth getting the soil tested and seeing what has changed since the start of its decline. Potentially there is a micro environmental change in the area. No expert so you probably know more than I. Just a shame to see a tree getting into a state like that. With the greenery growing around the root area in your photos it does seem like there is a lot of water in the area. 

 

Potentially getting the root area checked to see what damage might have occurred where you cannot see it. I know the Cedars where I work are each on a bank with very well drained soil and they have been growing for 150 years or so and still going strong. Always quite dry around the root area as they do drink a lot, but don't like sitting in water. 

 

I am not trying to teach grandmother to suck eggs. 

 

[maybelateron]

1 hour ago, Treeation said:

Hi there, the tree does sit upon a bank with a small stream below so the soil probably remains fairly moist especially at this time of the year when the water table is high. I imagine the majority of the root plate is on higher and better drained ground. The tree apparently has always flourished until the last year or so. I also, took samples of foliage and sent off to Forest Research for lab testing with Sirococcus tsugae in mind but the surprisingly the results showed no positive sign of the pathogen although from my observations of the discloured foliage and possible small black fruiting bodies on the underside of the twigs and Atlas cedar being particulalry susceptible to the pathogen I was sure that it was Sirococcus tsugae.

Regarding the negative results from the research lab:

When I was still working as a GP I learnt that often the lab would fail to grow a positive fungal culture when sent a sample of toe nail clippings, when the nails had a classical appearance of fungal infection. This is a common symptom from middle age onwards. We were advised that if it looked fungal then treat it as such even if lab result was negative.

Does anyone know if there is a similar difficulty sometimes for testing trees samples for fungi?

 

I have been observing a lovely large Atlantic Cedar over the last five years on a site we used to manage. It has been showing typical dieback compatible with Sirococcus, and keeps having a flush of new needles then dies back a bit again.

It overhangs a road in the housing estate (in grounds of former county asylum, lots of lovely big mature trees), and is next to a bus stop, so risk assessment of fell vs wait and see is a bit interesting.

 

The entire site is TPO'd and the local tree officer (who is great to work with, unlike the other councils I have to deal with) agreed it could be felled. The site management company asked us to take it down, then when two residents living opposite the tree kicked off big time management said leave it as it is.

 

I gave up the grounds and tree maintenance on that site two years back, due to frustration on many counts, and the tree is still standing and dithering about live vs die.

 

No doubt if it sheds a limb and there is injury or worse to anyone the residents who kicked off will be the first to point fingers, but not at themselves.