Polyporus squamosus and Auricularia auricula-judae?

[scotspine1]

thought some of you may like to see pics of what looks very like Polyporus squamosus (beside Silky) and the remnants of some Auricularia auricula-judae (next to chainsaw saw bar observed in large old wounds (flush cuts) on an old Acer pseudoplatanus. Wounds are about 1 m apart on left stem.

 

I'm not happy with the left stem, not so much because of the fungi present but because of the structural weakness presented by the hideous old pruning wounds. If the left stem was to be removed the whole tree would be as well going as it would leave the right stems very prone to westerly wind damaged.

 

Tree is about 3 m from client's property (see pic below)

 

Any thoughts welcome.

Edited July 12, 2011 by scotspine1

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

good call on the fungi, but my thoughts are thus, you have committed the cardinal sin by removing the growth that was feeding the growth compensation at the wound site.

 

this growth would have by two proscesses helped in reducing the structural issues.

[scotspine1]

good call on the fungi, but my thoughts are thus, you have committed the cardinal sin by removing the growth that was feeding the growth compensation at the wound site.

 

this growth would have by two proscesses helped in reducing the structural issues.

 

The lower cavity/wound (first pic - see red dots) -

 

wall 4 around the cavity is good I agree, helped along no doubt by the feeding provided by the (now removed) overgrown epicormic growth, but the Dryad's saddle is in there which we know can lead to failure.

 

The overgrown epi (red dots) was damaged in recent high winds and broken/hanging down over the house which is why it was removed. The limbs were very leggy had just snapped in the wind at different points on different branches, but interestingly not at the attachment points which had been strengthened (as you said) over the years since the wound was made.

 

The higher wound had similar damaged overgrown epi branches which hung down over the house. They failed at the attachment point, ripped out (see 2nd pic - red dots), that wound is a particularly good example of what not to do to a tree.......ever.

Edited July 12, 2011 by scotspine1

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Squirrel damge is one of the principal causes for branch snap in sycamore

[David Goss]

Squirrel damge is one of the principal causes for branch snap in sycamore

 

crap brittle wood being another:001_rolleyes:

[skyhuck]

Squirrel damge is one of the principal causes for branch snap in sycamore

 

Massive problem round here

[Johny Walker]

Massive problem round here

 

i have heard purdys are very good @ controling these things but dont tell anybody ,

[scotspine1]

Squirrel damge is one of the principal causes for branch snap in sycamore

 

Norway Maple as well, but on this occasion the branches snapped due to exceptionally high winds. There was no squirrel damage on the branches.

 

cheers for your thoughts though

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

The lower cavity/wound (first pic - see red dots) -

 

wall 4 around the cavity is good I agree, helped along no doubt by the feeding provided by the (now removed) overgrown epicormic growth, but the Dryad's saddle is in there which we know can lead to failure.

 

The overgrown epi (red dots) was damaged in recent high winds and broken/hanging down over the house which is why it was removed. The limbs were very leggy had just snapped in the wind at different points on different branches, but interestingly not at the attachment points which had been strengthened (as you said) over the years since the wound was made.

 

The higher wound had similar damaged overgrown epi branches which hung down over the house. They failed at the attachment point, ripped out (see 2nd pic - red dots), that wound is a particularly good example of what not to do to a tree.......ever.

 

yes the wound is bad because it was flush cut, had it been a decent cut the issue would not be so much of a problem, always better to leave more of a stub than less.

 

As for wall 4 there is much debate about the validity of barriers these days.

 

The epicormic/advantigous shooting would have helped not oly feed the area of the wound but as they grew and thickened themselves would have also reduced the t/R ratio around the area.

 

now these trees need reducing of that there is no arguments, felling is an option but not the only one.

[scotspine1]

As for wall 4 there is much debate about the validity of barriers these days.

 

There's been debate on Shigo's four walls since CODIT was first put forward as a model/idea.

 

But its the best we've got at the moment, until someone else comes up with a better explanation/model as to what happens when trees are wounded then I'll be using CODIT to explain compartmentalisation to my clients.