Opinions please on large Beech

[Stephen Blair]

I looked at this yesterday, it is huge and at the top of a hill over 2 houses. There are some recent cracks, small garoderma bracket on an old pruning wound, maybe signs around the buttresses but i couldnt get into see properly, there was no sign of fruiting bodies.

My main concern is the cracked bark running down the stem, i think there is a well of water gathering then this is flowing down, when i looked closer i found some boot laces, is this honey fungus? And what do you guys reckon on the health of the tree?

Pictures arent awesome sorry:blushing:

[John Hancock]

It'll be nice to see the state of the crown in the spring mate. I'd have a really good dig around the leaf-litter at the base. Yes, the boot-lace is honey fungus (providing you tied yours up that morning)

[Mark Bolam]

That union looks dodgy mate.

 

Can you get Fred Dibnah there to deck it with explosives?

[Ian C]

That union looks dodgy mate.

 

Can you get Fred Dibnah there to deck it with explosives?

 

We don't use dynamite mark! what we will do Stevie is cut a gob out and prop er up on sticks and burn it down. jobs a gud un. simples.

[combined tree services]

We don't use dynamite mark! what we will do Stevie is cut a gob out and prop er up on sticks and burn it down. jobs a gud un. simples.

 

nope burning really is not acceptable !! think how many loads of fire wood you would lose !! Dynamite sounds better all round and its about the only way i can think of taking a tree down and having plenty of pre split timber !!!!

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

that cracking is mostly rapid growth, there so many increment scars here, obviously compensating for something

[Arctostaphylos uva-ursi]

Quote:That union looks dodgy mate.

Can you get Fred Dibnah there to deck it with explosives?

 

 

Looks like he's already there (see last pic).

 

There looks to be good wound wood production. What about the crown any dieback. What is the extension growth like? I would wait for it to flush before making a decision. I bet it has a healthy crown?

Note: not all occurrences of Armilaria are going to attack health tissue. One species in this country is a saprophyte.

 

I would tell the client to call a consultant..............I'm free!

Edited February 18, 2011 by Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
quote

[Stephen Blair]

that cracking is mostly rapid growth, there so many increment scars here, obviously compensating for something

 

Could you explain that more for me please Tony:thumbup1:

And what effects will honey fungus have on the tree? Does it affect the roots or stem first?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

hello Stephen, o.k looking at your tree, unlike a normal smooth round trunk, we have columns/fluted trunk. these flutes are the very active root connected tissues, and are forming as the ripewood is increasingly colonised by the gano or honey or a combination of both. the flutes are splitting and growing very rapidly, indicating a very healthy vital tree that is more than fighting and may well overcome the current issues of minor butt decay. in your images there is some black stuff, if this is, as your suggesting bootlaces may I say that for me they look more like degraded pholiota aurivella, do you have any other images?

[Stephen Blair]

Sorry Tony, i lost track of this thread. They were the only pics of the laces i had. The owners have decided to get me to remove the tree, they were going to get it down anyway but any info on the condition would of helped them sleep easier with their decision.

I will take some pictures of the slices for you next week.