Meripilus on Oak...

[czhey]

Found this today (I think ), thought it was pretty rare on anything but Beech?

 

Just wondered if it is as significant as finding it on Beech?

 

Tree is approx 60 feet, maybe 2 foot DBH, in the middle of a customers garden, at most 70 feet from their house, right over kids play area.

 

Tree doesn't seem to be 'dieing back' but does seem a little thin.

 

 

Sorry for the poor pictures, busy day but will be back tomorrow.

 

Charlie.

 

EDIT: sorry don't know how to rotate the first 2 pics?

[Bundle 2]

Its gotta be in recycler mode in this scenario....Oak has such strong defense systems that compartmentalisation would not be any kind of an issue for a healthy tree.

[Giles Hill]

That canopy doesn't look great though - it seems very sparse at the ends of the branches, it's denser in the middle, but is that epicormic-type growth?

 

What are the ground conditions like around the tree and have they been changed in recent years?

 

The Merip might not be the cause, but I think it might be a symptom. I'd be suspicious that something isn't quite right with the roots, given the poor state of the canopy and the fact it has a fungi that specialises is in root decay. Also the fact that it's being hosted by a species that is normally resistant to it might say something about the physiology of the tree.

 

I think I'd consider getting someone who knows what they're doing involved to do a root investigation with an airspade. But then again, I'm only a landscape architect pretending to be an arb.

[Bundle 2]

Giles...Im pro tree and think you make a fair point. I am acutely aware of the stigma attached to this fungus and any effort to genuinely investigate the issues that relate to stability, if the tree poses any kind of risk (ie, there is a target of some consequence) are absolutely necessary.

I am in no doubt that every tree deserves our best effort..best practice infact....

Oak has a track record of resilience. The science backs this up. The chemicals present in the heartwood of oak would make your toes curl. The tanins, suberin and tylosis involved would deter a fungus that is more used to the relative "pushover" that is beech!

But, you need to understand the associations in an " hiolistic: sense...Look to environmental history, both recent and past...look to climatic influence, soil, species, diversification, the ecology and so on.....

Me, Id bet the oak would wipe the floor with meripilus...the pussy likes a ring porous, false heartwood broadleaf that that thinks it's a temperate forest tree!

 

tim

[Bundle 2]

Yeah yeah...diffuse porous!

[Giles Hill]

You may be right Mr B, I was just putting in my twopenneth, for what it's worth.

 

It's interesting to compare this tree with the Inonotus hosting oak on the other thread, which looks from the picture to have good physiology and the adaptive root growth (on the Inontotus tree) is also encouraging - it looks more like a healthy tree adapting to accommodate the fungus, rather than the fungus taking advantage of an unhealthy tree.

Edited September 29, 2010 by Giles Hill

[czhey]

Stupid question, is this Meripilus, not Grifola Frondosa? I know the latter is much more likely to be found on oak, but this looks more like meripilus to me? Never seen Grif F. before so i don't know how to tell the difference:blushing:

 

 

 

 

That canopy doesn't look great though - it seems very sparse at the ends of the branches, it's denser in the middle, but is that epicormic-type growth?

 

What are the ground conditions like around the tree and have they been changed in recent years?

 

The Merip might not be the cause, but I think it might be a symptom. I'd be suspicious that something isn't quite right with the roots, given the poor state of the canopy and the fact it has a fungi that specialises is in root decay. Also the fact that it's being hosted by a species that is normally resistant to it might say something about the physiology of the tree.

 

I think I'd consider getting someone who knows what they're doing involved to do a root investigation with an airspade. But then again, I'm only a landscape architect pretending to be an arb.

 

 

 

Thats not a very good picture, there's not much epicormic/inner crown except on 1 limb, its just a bit thin throughout.

 

Customer has lived there 8 years, no ground disturbance as far as she remembers. Tree hasn't been reduced or anything, a few larger branches crown lifted.

 

Makes sense that it is being saprobic (spell?) on dead roots- I wasn't concerned until i stepped back and the tree didn't look healthy.

 

Any idea about costs of an air spade investigation? Not sure the customer would go for it...

 

 

Charlie.

[Bundle 2]

Looks a bit like...Grifola frondosa - Hen of the woods -

[czhey]

Looks a bit like...Grifola frondosa - Hen of the woods -

 

Yes but the color doesn't look right to me..... too yellow/orange for any pics of Grifola i've seen..... i'm not sure.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

wow, a few posters with some interest in this one!

 

Crown, well the meripilus is (yes its merip!) is into the roots for sure, and well into them, the tree is in terminal decline, though only through transport dysfunction in the short term, reduction may assist the tree but for me, in THIS instance its not worth the effort, IMO, sometimes you just have to admit defeat.

 

hen of the woods well it looks NOTHING like merip, if you have seen merip, youll know when it isnt! grifola is nowhere near as common as merip, not even on oak.

 

Little is scientificaly known about the effects of meripilus on Oak, but I found one last week that was windblown and fruiting merip heavily, and the darker (pathogenic suspect) form, as apposed to the suspected lighter saprobic form.

 

As for tim, and the beech. Well hang on, do you know what sylvatica means? and Oak is NOT a woodland tree, its natural home is the open structured pastureland, where it fairs much better, being a high light requiring species, thats why haloing has been perfected.

Beech on the other hand, well the name for a start! also prefers a little shade, though not too much, but it doesnt like full sun, not like the oak and the ash anyways.