Trees are black

[Dawsie]

All these trees were coated in black, they looked like there had been a fire but there hasn’t been, any ideas?

[Stubby]

Lichen ?

[openspaceman]

4 minutes ago, Stubby said:

Lichen ?

Yes that was my thought by the texture but I cannot remember seeing any black lichen on trees, round here the air was too polluted for many lichen so I used to see it mostly in the west country.

[Boo Who?]

We get similar up here in Scotland in close proximity of distilleries.
Apparently here it’s a fungus that feeds on the ethanol released in the distilling process, but a quick google tells me it can also occur due to natural fermentation in bogs....

[Youngstu]

49 minutes ago, Boo Who? said:

We get similar up here in Scotland in close proximity of distilleries.
Apparently here it’s a fungus that feeds on the ethanol released in the distilling process, but a quick google tells me it can also occur due to natural fermentation in bogs....

The same thing is found in the distillery towns in France:

The Angels' Share, La Part Des Anges, that's what they call those elusive vapors that are constantly escaping from the production of cognac, and which feed a black mold that covers all buildings where cognac is aging.

[Dawsie]

Yes that must be it, these trees are adjacent to the Chivas bonded warehouse on Clydebank, It’s most unusual.

[richyrich]

11 hours ago, openspaceman said:

Yes that was my thought by the texture but I cannot remember seeing any black lichen on trees, round here the air was too polluted for many lichen so I used to see it mostly in the west country.

I live a few miles from Drax power station, etc. A few years ago i noticed apple trees covered in lichen. Previously, when the power stations were still burning coal, there was hardly any lichen on the branches.