Browning Silver Birch Tree's?????

[TonyP]

Hi all just wondered if anyone can shed any light as to what is happening to these silver birch tree's as my customer noticed they have gone brown in the last 2 weeks since she has been away...Not a great pic as taken on my phone but i will take camera with me next week to get some better ones

Thanks Tony

[Beezy]

I've notcied one or two small to mid-mature Silver Birches doing this too in my area, a fair sized one at that.

 

After a bit of a look over it, with no recent root/crown disturbance, I reckon this looks like classic drought symptoms, as its been so dry recently.

 

In my experience Birch trees require a fair amount of water uptake, thinking back a fairly small log has been heavy due to the amount of water it holds, especially during late spring when the sap is rising and you can tap them for the sap for wine.

 

Just a thought, but might be worth getting your customer to drench it around the roots and see if there is improvement, before its too late.

[Stephen Blair]

i blame the frost and lack of rain we had since november, quite a few up here. All on Lawns.

[David Humphries]

I'd throw Armillaria in to the mix.

Drought stressed trees + dead birch stump & roots in the immeadiate vacinity.

 

Have a wee gander for rhizomorphs around the base of the two Birch.

Are there any signs of bleeding on the trunks?

 

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[TonyP]

ok thanks.no sign of any bleeding,but you can see a stump in pic i rember that one had a

large braket on in from memory a tan colour top white bot.would this b affecting them

[Arbgirl]

Piptoporus betulina that sounds like

 

My birch tree is in a pot and looked like those - until I watered it! It lost a few leaves and they went yellow but it has perked up and recovered now. It just needed a drink. Watering them cant hurt, see if that perks them up. Failing that then it could be Piptoporus or Armillaria as suggested earler.

Edited July 25, 2010 by Arbgirl

[TonyP]

hi monky-d iv just got myself manual of wood decays and looked up armillaria.if it is is there a chance it could spread to a copper beech some 15ft away

[David Humphries]

Forestry commision has a list of species that are deemed resistant or fairly resistant to Armillaria attack.

 

though that species list has Oak sp noted as resistant, and I've seen live standing Oak with rhizomorphs on before. So I'd imagine taking such lists with a pinch of salt and a keen eye on whats going on localy around your Birch site would be prudential.

 

As for Copper Beech, I have no specific experience I'm afraid.

 

All I would say, is that if the Copper is stressed in any way (drought, pathnogenic attack, compaction, salt damage etc... then Armillaria will generally get a foot hold in

 

 

.

[Bundle 2]

Armillaria has gotten a bad reputation, especially in gardens it seems. As a rule of thumb, folk over tend the garden and this "hygenic" approach seems to have given rise to the prominence of armillaria. A reputation that may not be a balanced view.