Diagnosis and prognosis of the development of wood decay in urban trees- discussion

[arb culture]

Trichoderma, perhaps ?

 

 

 

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[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

About time somebody showed up in this thread! was getting awfully worried I might be a little too over the line for AT! maybe its the lack of images! lol

 

yes, trichoderma sp seem to have been researched a bit, I know that using a fiercly competative anti fungus is the way to go, maybe even for reversing progressive colonisation in hispidus, meripilus etc scenarios.

 

I am thinking however that a sealant type scenario, artificial barrier would be (until Stamets completes his mission) would be the way to go, cheap, easy and it would be permanent, least enough to compare to tree longevity.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I was also wondering what you all think of the lack of repeatability, reliability and inacurate assesment models, it seems that none, be it the pulling tests, QTRA, etc have escaped being scrutinised in the book and shown to be left wanting in many areas.

 

funny though, seems the VTA method devised by claus mattheck gets far less negative discussion therein, with only the use of increment cores as a significant negative issue, that and the lack of "risk calculation" which is pretty much besides the point when the VTA is used correctly.

 

I wonder what will occur with the recent big pulling test failure?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Just one more think for the mo!

 

if platanus X hispanica has more suberised Xylem rays and hence compartmentalise hispidus far better, what substance is injected into the tyloses, as Hispidus does seem able to travel down the cambium via Tyloses in all host scenarios including planes?

[janey]

But surely if there is a need for a fungicidal sealent for using after you have taken your sample, that kinda negates any arguement that increment borers are still ok to use on trees to be retained? This idea seems to back the case for non invasive tree inspection.

[AndyElliott]

isn't trichoderma sp. as common as muck - by which i mean its just about present in all muck and yet other fungi still compete and flourish:confused1: The hort industry has used it for eons but their stuff is selected and developed for very specific uses - i.e. different types do different stuff - some useful for one thing but not for another. i don't think there is a type that would be a universal zapper of the kind you suggest? trichoderma virride did used to be treatment for a widish variety of arb ailments i seem to remember, but not in such a form. As for the sealant - wasn't the problem with wound sealants always they may stop fungi from passing through them but they invariably sealed the little beggers in that were already there, creating nice microclimates that sped up decay rates. Didn't schwarze himself do some research showing increased decay following micro-drill damage compared to much larger damage by increment borers - something again about the ease of fungal colonisation when given a neat little abode. maybe our desire in the past to seal, hide, or cover stuff made us feel better rather than benefitting the tree.

[Bundle 2]

Hi Andy,

You are right that Schwarze is not new to innoculation theory..afterall, he was forced to halt mycological research into wood decay when funding ceased as I understand it. He worked thereafter on processes of decay in coffins ! Furthermore, there is a chapter in the tome that talks about the wood used for violins and in terms of the fungal activity that is required to make it such an ideal material for soundboards....

Im sure there is plenty of research available on the net about this by Schwarze, Mattheck and others no doubt. And yes, discreet invasion is more likely to result in infection than an increment borer although this seems at first counter intuitive. It is indeed all about the microclimate!

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

The only reason i would wish to create an artificial barrier is to appease the anti borer portion of the assesment community!

 

I have no personal issues whatsoever in drilling an increment, NONE.

 

I would however wish to steralise the bore tool on each drilling, as a purley routine precautionary thing.

 

What i did like was the highlighting the fact that the increment core/fractometer model was the ONLY model that picked up ALL decay and very early stages.

 

is the industry as anti as it is BECAUSE its the best tool for the job and is also the cheapest!

[janey]

 

is the industry as anti as it is BECAUSE its the best tool for the job and is also the cheapest!

 

An increment borer is only the best tool for increment boring. I am neither pro or anti it myself, but you cannot say catagorically that it is the best diagnostic aid for every tree and every situation. Well, you can say it, but you'd be wrong

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

An increment borer is only the best tool for increment boring. I am neither pro or anti it myself, but you cannot say catagorically that it is the best diagnostic aid for every tree and every situation. Well, you can say it, but you'd be wrong

 

and you would be right in that Janey, no doubt, wasnt what I was saying at all.

 

 

just that it should be more "acceptable" than it is, and it is the ONLY way to quantify residual wood properties/strengths as far as I am aware?

 

Talking in combination with the Fractometer II.

 

When i get mine i shall set about doing tables for the U.K by county.