Tulip tree health problems

[dale@coastal]

Good morning all,

 

Has anyone seen examples of serious bark damage on mature Tulip trees?  This specimen is in West Dorset, and aside from the problems shown in the photographs it appears to be in rude health. 

 

There are some dried out rhizomorphs on the stem that would suggest Honey Fungus is the culprit, but no fruiting bodies apparent - they may appear later in the year.  There are several areas of dark staining and some 'oozy' secretions associated with them.  The owner says that he has never noticed any mushrooms on or near the tree, and believes that the bark must have fallen off within the last few months.  Would Honey fungus alone account for the damage?  Would one expect the tree to be showing signs of stress in the canopy given the amount of dysfunction in the lower stem.  The tree is much-loved by the family, and they would like to retain it if possible.  If catastrophic failure were to occur, the tree would most likely fall onto the lawn.  The house is a safe distance away.

 

The damage is on the NE part of the stem, extending approx 1.5m high, and there is further loose bark that is likely to fall off fairly soon. 

 

There has been no mechanical damage to the area from grazing animals or strimmers, etc.  No fire either.  The tree has flowered normally.  Any observations welcome!

[Otto77]

I think honey fungus could definitely be the cause of this damage. What worries me most is that the tree doesn't seem to have any compensation growth at the edges of the damage, and it hardly seems to seal off the wound edges. 

However, it does seem to be in good condition, so the infection probably not very deep. 

If it would be near the house I would probably remove it, but as it doesn't appear to be in a very dangerous spot, I would just keep an eye on it and see if it starts to compensate in growth for the damage, especially around the edges of the wound.

 

Hope this helps a bit.

 

Apologies for any bad English, as I'm from the Netherlands.

[David Cropper]

Bad English? Otto, if you read some of the rubbish written on these pages, you write like a university professor as do most of the Dutch I know!

[difflock]

Gibber

mutter

twitch

hic!

[David Cropper]

7 minutes ago, difflock said:

Gibber

mutter

twitch

hic!

And that's on a good day!

[nepia]

Someone with better knowledge tell me I'm barking up the wrong tree with a suggestion of Kretzschmaria with HF as a likely secondary infection...

Edited August 4, 2021 by nepia

[Anno]

 

Phytophthora bleeding canker? or bacterial wetwood as we once called it?

Edited August 4, 2021 by Anno