Bracket fungi at base of oak/quercus

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

the best case scenario in Q. robur is to have Fistulina at the base, as this is a competitor and less hazardous decay strategy, the laeti may retrench the limbs, but due to the fistulina at the base, the laeti rarely gets enough of a foot hold to cause a main stem failure. Laeti alone within the lower portions is not nearly as favourable as Fistulina.

[chris cnc]

The laeti is a top down rotter, this needs no further explanation?

 

A wound parasite that makes its home in the heartwood where it preferentialy degrades cellulose leaving only the brittle lignin, however, usualy in the healthy/vital oak this is contained within the heartwood. in later stages this means that a thinner and thinner wall develops around a cavity and the whole tree is effectivley hollow. As long as the tree is vital, it continues to contain the fungi to the heartwood and the cambium/sapwood continues to grow, limbs are lost and retrenchment begins, and often by the time the fungi is too far into the tree and sensessence begins it has with the assitance of the fungi, grown down enough for the thin residual wall to be of no structural concern, it will have effectively self pollarded.

 

i am aware of this, i just wondered why it was a distinct possibility in the case of THIS bracket...

 

"laeti can at times find a way in to modify the sapwood layer, looking at your bracket this is a distinct possability."

 

[chris cnc]

p.s not trying to catch you out or anything. maybe i misunderstood

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

oh dear!

 

my explanation came, it was not for fear of you "catching me out" lmao

 

IME, laeti near the base like this is never a good thing, and always ALWAYS warrants a detailed investigation, there is a VERY high chance that the T?R ratio here is severly compromised and the potential for a stem failure is a distinct possibility, rather than unlikely.

 

hope that helps?

[chris cnc]

 

IME, laeti near the base like this is never a good thing, and always ALWAYS warrants a detailed investigation, there is a VERY high chance that the T?R ratio here is severly compromised and the potential for a stem failure is a distinct possibility, rather than unlikely.

 

hope that helps?

 

thats pretty much what i wanted to know

[chris cnc]

oh dear!

 

my explanation came, it was not for fear of you "catching me out" lmao

 

i am aware that you are way more knowledgeable than me on this subject, i was just being polite thats all

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

i am aware that you are way more knowledgeable than me on this subject, i was just being polite thats all

 

i wasnt trying to be cocky, nor patronising chris, I just wanted you to not feel like I felt any malice in your reply!

 

Your a very good young arb mycota, well on his way, i will be watching you, as ive said before, youll be giving me a run for my money in no time!

[chris cnc]

i'm a sucker for a compliment so i'll let you off!