Staverton...

[David Humphries]

few shots from the Stav that people may not have seen.

 

link taken from the ATF web site.

 

Bit too focused on people, but a few tree shots nonetheless.

 

 

 

Staverton Park ATF June 2010 - a set on Flickr

 

 

 

 

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[wills-mill]

There's a public footpath through part of Staverton Thicks, which is much more tightly wooded than the parkland, but still great for veteran gnarlers if you want a quick mooch.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

thats a handy little bit of info! theres some good bits to that section.

[David Humphries]

A couple of years on & I've had the rare opportunity to be granted access back into this privately owned woodland.

 

Apologies Tony but the owners only gave permission for a small group from the Suffolk & Norfolk Mycology groups. (I did ask)

 

 

 

I'm indebted to Neil Mahler for organising the access & allowing me to join the group for the day.

 

Many thanks Neil

 

 

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[David Humphries]

the purpose of the visit was timed intentionally to take in the fruiting period of Piptoporus quercinus (the oak polypore) Something I'd yet had the pleasure to see in full flow.

 

The Oak polypore is an extremely rare species, one of only four British fungi on schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act which means that it's an offence to collect, cut, destroy, uproot or sell any part of it (or the habitat its on). Recorded from only a handful of sites.

 

The habitat providing the strata for this fungi is the rarity here.

Staverton being a prime example of the fragile ecosystem where the fungi exists. As shown in the earlier pictures in this thread the park has a large but dwindling population of veteran oak pollards ranging from somewhere in the region of 250 to 800 years old. These trees provide the dysfunctional & dead wood volumes that this fungi requires.

 

It occurs both on retained limbs and trunks of living and/or dead veteran oak trees and as witnessed yesterday it appears to be predominantly on detached dead limbs.

 

Once again I've been left mesmerised by this truly special site. Although my third visit over the last dozen or so years, it was my first time in a narrow time window to see the intricate balance going on between specific species and to finally tune into the fruiting locations of a fung in what is a pretty delicate eco system.

 

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[David Humphries]

There's a public footpath through part of Staverton Thicks, which is much more tightly wooded than the parkland, but still great for veteran gnarlers if you want a quick mooch.

 

thats a handy little bit of info! theres some good bits to that section.

 

One thing that I feel needs to be mentioned here is that the majority of the woodland is not subject to open access & is privately owned.

 

Sadly I saw first hand yesterday where people have been straying from the footpath and have had fires within the woodland (using the very strata that the Oak polypore hosts within)

 

This is worrying & morally wrong (imo) on both ecology & safety grounds.

 

The habitat is incredibly fragile and becoming a scarce resource, it is rightly protected by law & the more the owners see this happening the less likely they are going to be to keep access to the site open for events like the Ancient Tree Forum meetings and small organised study trips like yesterday.

 

I would urge anyone who has an inclination to visit the woodland to keep an eye out for future ATF filed trips or seek the permission of the land owner.

 

 

 

If any one is interested, pm me for contacts.

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

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[David Humphries]

Apart from the relatively abundant fruiting of the oak polypore the site was devoid of much other fungal fruiting.

 

A few scatterd sapro species, but pretty much no mycorrhyzals to speak of and (although a little early) hardly any sign of Fistulina & no Laetiporus noted

 

 

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[woodyguy]

Magical, thanks for sharing.

The only place I know that is of similar standing is the old deer park at Chatsworth Park which isn't open to the public either. Senescent oak are amazing.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Good posts david, good points and info all round.

 

I have had some considerable opportunities to study this uba rare shy fruiting fungi and have come to understand a little bit of why it is so rare.

 

I spoke to Lynne body about the Polypore, it is a very poor combatant and a very, very slow grower however i dont think thats the real issue, all the trees I have come across bar one have had one thing in common, extreme desiccation, something its fellow brown rotters do not like, least not to the extremes that P. quercinus will endure, this may be its speciality and Niche, hence its rarity these days. There is another seldom seen fungi that may help as an indicator for the Oak polypore, at least assist a little in tracking down the right substrate, the wild serpula, S. himantoides which I have learned is rather fond of dry internal cavities of old oaks, especially @ Windsor.

 

As always just some initial observations noted but I usually find I'm on the right track with my instincts.

 

I have a idea I know the decay now too, and the stains associated, which would make me able to identify F. hepatica, Daedalea quercina, Laetiporus sulphureus and Piptoporus quercinus by decay only! Might show you an image to elude to the pips presence in private sometime.

 

You was very privileged to get such a viewing of Staverton.

 

It pains me to say it, but the site should be closed to all but the most serious of researchers.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Tony Croft aka hamadryad

[David Humphries]

Did you ever read the piece Lynne and Martyn helped write on the oak poly from a 2010 issue of Fungal Ecology?

 

Talks around the development ecology of the species, though not particularly the decay strategy.

 

"The rare oak polypore Piptoporus quercinus: Population structure, spore germination and growth" Crockatt, Martha E.; Campbell, Alice; Allum, Leanne; Ainsworth, A. Martyn; Boddy, Lynne.

 

 

 

 

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