Cause of widespread heart rot in Oak?

[Big J]

Another tree health related question....

 

I was felling a handful of trees today in a woodland not far from my workshop. Ash, cherry, beech and oak. All of the trees were outwardly healthy and vigorous, and perfectly sound once felled, bar the Oak. Three different Oak, from three different areas of the site (1-200 metres apart) all displayed the same fully permeating heart rot, which actually got worst as it went up the tree.

 

At stump, it manifested itself as a darker area of very wet, but still structurally sound rot. As you progress up the stem, the tree becomes heavily star shaken, but the shake accentuated with dark mildew-esque rot. The area of dark, wet rot is larger the further you go up, with only 2-3 inches of sound, light timber.

 

My question is, has anyone seen this before, and what could have caused it? The trees look perfectly healthy outwardly, and the felling of these three Oak possibly indicated that about 10 acres of 50% Oak woodland is worthless but for firewood.

 

The site is on a gentle slope and north facing. The woodland is a well thinned mix of Oak, Beech and Ash, with the odd Cherry and Sycamore. It is fairly well drained, but increasingly wet towards the bottom of the slope (though the Oak were felled nearer the top).

 

It's just incredibly frustrating to fell what appears to be a very good tree to find that it is next to worthless (to me).

 

Jonathan

[Brushcutter]

Not that it's any help but i had the same thing with a tree i felled a few weeks ago. 10 came out of the wood. All have various inperfections that you expect with hardwoods bar one that had what you described. Was big too about 25" across and 9' long. Cut it into 8x2 and each board was worthless rotten and shaken.

[sean]

bump.....just because i'm interested to see some comments on what it may be?

[Fungus]

Jonathan,

Dry brown or cubical heart rot : Laetiporus sulphureus

Moist to dry brown rot of annual rings : Fistulina hepatica

Combination of white and soft rot : Inonotus dryadeus

Edited June 8, 2011 by Fungus