Fungus on beech - can anyone identify it?

[Northern Outpost]

About 18 feet up, in a children's play area. Clearly been brutally pollarded at some point leaving this entry point for fungus.

Wonder how deep it goes!?

Fell or not?

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

Wouldn't consider felling without further inspection / investigation, e.g. Picus and/or resistograph...and a competent tree inspector / arboriculturist.  

 

The fungus may be Oyster Fungus (TBC!), common on Beech and saprophytic I believe, i.e.  deadwood colonising. The position, centrally within the wound possibly indicates good compartmentalisation, i.e. defence mechanism by the tree shutting off access to living wood.

In terms of being "an entry point" (for decay organisms), whilst there may be some validity to this for certain fungi, the current thinking (research - Lynn Boddy) is that many fungi are latent within the tree and pruning introduces oxygen which stimulates them and makes them active.

 

In summary, please don't fell the tree solely on the basis of the photograph - being in a children's pay area warrants a detailed inspection but doubtless it provides some level of shade benefit during hot, sunny days...plus of course all the other benefits of trees we know about (good firewood not included! lol)

 

Cheers,

Paul 

 

[daltontrees]

13 hours ago, Northern Outpost said:

About 18 feet up, in a children's play area. Clearly been brutally pollarded at some point leaving this entry point for fungus.

Wonder how deep it goes!?

Fell or not?

Looks like Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus). Only feeds on deadwood. Looks like good adaptive growth of wood around an old branch wound. No way of knowing depth, from this photo. Leave it alone!