Rot affecting Tilia and no idea what is causing it

[Thesnarlingbadger]

We reduced an avenue of lime trees last week and when we came to the last one and started reducing it we noticed it felt a little more ridged than the other 9 in the row and realised it had a huge patch of rot on the back of the tree. The trees are all TPO’d and I have spoken to the tree officer and sent over photos and she is as miffed as I am. We are trying to work out what is causing the issue and I don’t want to remove the tree if not completely necessary but the area has high foot fall and traffic and is right next to a garage and within falling distance of the house so I’m fairly concerned.

 

It almost looks like phytophthora but not got the bleeding stains that you usually get with this. I have tapped the base with a mallet and all sounds solid enough but the rot starts about 4m up and is about 1.5m in height and 0.5m across and the rotting wood is like polystyrene and the tree sound hollow all the way around this part of the trunk. The tree is the second one in the row of 10 trees and is sheltered and probably why it has not come down in the winds a ninth or so back but is not as tall as the others. The new growth looks healthy but I know limes can be bloody rotten and still look in good shape.

 

I’ve attached a couple of photos. Let me know if anyone has got any idea.

 

Thanks for your help as always.

 

Cheers

[AJStrees]

Is it Kretzschmaria? Lime is quite susceptible to this. I've lost a couple of old limes recently with it. 

 

Kretzschmaria deusta - Google Search

G.CO

 

[Thesnarlingbadger]

Is it Kretzschmaria? Lime is quite susceptible to this. I've lost a couple of old limes recently with it. 
 

Kretzschmaria deusta - Google Search

G.CO  

Maybe. Still not 100% do you know what time of year the fruiting posies would show with this? If it is Kretzschmaria I would say it’s fairly advanced stages.

Thank you

[slack ma girdle]

Unless the cause is obvious, then the cause could be anything.

You do have a large area of rot/ disfuntion, which must have been there for a long time. Is the tree trying to compartmentalised the rot from the living wood, or is the rot spreading unhindered?

There might well be fungi fruiting bodies in Autumn,  but are they the cause of the rot, or opportunists taking advantage of the decaying wood.

[Thesnarlingbadger]

Unless the cause is obvious, then the cause could be anything.
You do have a large area of rot/ disfuntion, which must have been there for a long time. Is the tree trying to compartmentalised the rot from the living wood, or is the rot spreading unhindered?
There might well be fungi fruiting bodies in Autumn,  but are they the cause of the rot, or opportunists taking advantage of the decaying wood.

That’s my concern, that it could be anything and not knowing really means removal to keep things safe.
There’s no songs of the tree compartmentalising around the scaring and I would say that the rot is spreading but I don’t have a previous point in time to compare to. It might have to be remove and replant but if it is fungal then I’m concerned a newly planted Lime will not take in the same spot.

[Dan Maynard]

Seems like the stem diameter reduces a lot just above the gnarly bit, was there a branch removed there in the past? If so then something colonised from the open wound a while ago. We've a row in the churchyard which were topped more than 20 years ago, two have succumbed to something and put the whole thing in to decline.

[Thesnarlingbadger]

Seems like the stem diameter reduces a lot just above the gnarly bit, was there a branch removed there in the past? If so then something colonised from the open wound a while ago. We've a row in the churchyard which were topped more than 20 years ago, two have succumbed to something and put the whole thing in to decline.

Don’t think there have been any significant branches removed from the tree in the past but I could be wrong. The branches around this level are all basically epicormic not hiked than 3” diameter but there may have been a larger branch removed 50 odd years ago when the trees were a little smaller.
The Tree officers in the area are aware of this and are going to decide what would be the best course of action to take. Removing the tree would be a real shame as it makes up a row of 10 with a matching set of 10 the other side of the lane but that being said it is a high risk area of the tree did come down in winds.