K-K-K-K-K-Kretzch

[skyhuck]

This Lime had Kretzch, the TO had gone to the address to look a Horse chestnut and spotted it. The was very little die-back the crown, but it had snapped clean off at the base and was resting on the Sycamores behind.

 

The owner had not noticed.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Wasnt meaning to be an insulting comment:blushing:. Its just the select few in my area that make merry hell when we fell the smallest sapling. We were made the anti christ the other day for deadwooding an old Oak with a 20 mm rope and a van. Deadwooding and fracture pruning in one

 

lol, dont worry, he was being subtle!

[ScottF]

Good thread. K. deusta is a bit of an arch-enemy for good reason. It's interesting to try to gauge the extent of decay in the tree based on the size/extent of sporophores, as it sometimes doesn't hold. Here's a report I did on a beech tree I did in a garden of a second home (so not much used). The fruiting bodies were pretty extensive, but the internal investigation was a bit surprising. I normally would have felled it, but as it is, I think we'll get at least another 3 years out of it (while replacements get away). Despite the pronounced drought here this spring, the crown looks much as it did last year.

[RobRainford]

Good thread. K. deusta is a bit of an arch-enemy for good reason. It's interesting to try to gauge the extent of decay in the tree based on the size/extent of sporophores, as it sometimes doesn't hold. Here's a report I did on a beech tree I did in a garden of a second home (so not much used). The fruiting bodies were pretty extensive, but the internal investigation was a bit surprising. I normally would have felled it, but as it is, I think we'll get at least another 3 years out of it (while replacements get away). Despite the pronounced drought here this spring, the crown looks much as it did last year.

 

 

Thats a good report, very informative. However, as k.deusta is a but rotter, would it not have shown a better perspective of the trees structural integrity by having the picus a lot lower, at 200mm or even 100mm from the base?

 

Ive seen a failed ash that had k. deusta all in the base, and a picus at 800mm wouldnt have picked up anything to condemn the tree, but one at 300mm would have had it down yesterday

[Theocus]

Here are a few images from the Hornbeam. Again the tree looked fine from the outside, but knowing about Kretch we knew otherwise. We took the majority down with our Cherry picker then felled. Needless to say it didnt behave itself during felling!!

[Fungus]

However, as k.deusta is a but rotter, would it not have shown a better perspective of the trees structural integrity by having the picus a lot lower, at 200mm or even 100mm from the base?

 

Or even as low as at or below ground level. The mycelium of a soft rotter like K. deusta often attacks the root plate and buttresses from below, going upward in the center of the trunk and then spreading out radially until the cambium is reached and its parasitical phase starts, after which the foliage becomes transparent and outer parts and/or the top of the crown die. With beech, hornbeam (see above photo) and lime, the appearance of fruiting with black crusts often indicates the mycelium has done its detrimental work of total decay inside and especially trees, which are still in full foliage can become vulnerable for windthrow.

Edited May 19, 2011 by Fungus

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

With Kretzschmaria the stone like fracture is often less than a metre from ground level, just below the neutral fibre zone or (hotspot)

[ScottF]

Couldn't get lower with the Picus due to slope and obstructions, but i did take some Resistograph readings at ground level with corroborated the Picus findings that the extent of the decay decreased the lower I went. When a report is for a homeowner, unless the Resistograph readings contradict (as they sometimes do), thew Picus readings then I don't include them. Picus readings are are fairly intuitive for a non-expert to undertsand, but it's more difficult (in my experience) to explain Resisto readings.

 

There's no question that this tree will need to be felled in due course, I simply judged that given the tree is in a very low-use area, felling would have been premature given the readings. I might Picus it again this year and compare the findings...

[David Humphries]

. I might Picus it again this year and compare the findings...

 

That would be very interesting to see Scott.

 

Be great if you could post up the comparison.

 

 

 

.

[ScottF]

I'll be down at this site next week, David, so I'll pop in and retake them at the same heights.

 

As I said the crown looks much the same, but as we know this sometimes doesn't mean a great deal.