Very, very healthy beech. Maybe a bit too much leaf?

[Matthew Arnold]

I noticed that one of the beech in our avenue has lots of internal shoots. They weren't there last year. The crown is very healthy (although bit thin on top). No signs of fruiting bodies at the base but sign of something trying to get into one of the butresses (Armillia spp?). Am i right in thinking that a tree with lots of internal stems is in distress?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

or in recovery!

 

there is something swelling the lower butt/root crown.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I see cryptococcus fagisuga, a clear indication of the stress, there is something to tell here but need a closer look to be sure, its rare on beech, but G.resinaceum produces very low swells like this, but it has some flavour or "language" of meripilus too.

[Matthew Arnold]

Wll keep an eye on it during the summer then if anything crops up. Its got a target (car park and road) within falling distance and its neighbour is showing signs of something too. Shall get pics of its neighbour tomorrow and features of this tree in macro.

[Matthew Arnold]

I see cryptococcus fagisuga, a clear indication of the stress, there is something to tell here but need a closer look to be sure, its rare on beech, but G.resinaceum produces very low swells like this, but it has some flavour or "language" of meripilus too.

 

Here are the pics to confirm it

[Fungus]

I see cryptococcus fagisuga, a clear indication of the stress

 

Matt & Tony,

C. fagisuga is associated with bark canker caused by Nectria coccinea.

And it looks like there is a bracket of Trametes gibbosa present in the rotting wound high up the tree, which is an indication of previous white rot of the wood with chlorinated carbohydrates (organohalogens) by the mycelium of Bjerkandera adusta, on which T. gibbosa parasitizes as a successor. The part of the crown partially attached to the decayed zone could be in danger of breaking off because of this.

[Matthew Arnold]

Here are some pics of its neighbour. The bank has only been there for the last few years but kept it low past the tree as not to affect the butresses on the car park side. It has a bit of die back in the top and in between a couple of butresses it looks like the bark is going underneath the tree.