Sick Wellingtonia

[Milly]

Hi all,

 

As you know I am not a forester nor a tree surgeon but I do however own a forest thus have a vested interest in trees and we have some beautiful old trees in the gardens.

Now to my question we have a number of Wellingtonia trees and very large cedars. One of the Wellingtonia is in poor health there are two next to each other the biggest is tall and healthy.

The bark has been stripped back 3 feet from the ground up, I believe by animals in the past it also has had ivy strangling it now cut back.

The issue is one side of the tree is in good condition the other side is dead any suggestions of what could be wrong or how I can help the tree.

 

This picture is of both trees the smaller one is in poor health.

 

This one shows the stripped bark ;-(

 

 

This one shows the unhealthy side.

 

[Fungus]

a number of Wellingtonia trees and very large cedars. One of the Wellingtonia is in poor health there are two next to each other the biggest is tall and healthy. The bark has been stripped back 3 feet from the ground up, I believe by animals in the past it also has had ivy strangling it now cut back. The issue is one side of the tree is in good condition the other side is dead any suggestions of what could be wrong or how I can help the tree. This picture is of both trees the smaller one is in poor health. This one shows the stripped bark. This one shows the unhealthy side.

 

Milly,

This either is an infection of the cambium of the trees with (the mycelium or rhizomorphs of) a parasitic Honey Fungus (see : Rhizomorphs Armillaria), or with the mycelium of either Phaeolus schweinitzii or Sparassis crispa.

[Fungus]

an infection of the cambium of the trees with (the mycelium or rhizomorphs of) a parasitic Honey Fungus

 

This is what the first phase body language of the bark of a coniferous tree attacked by a parasitic Armillaria species looks like :

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[ScottF]

Certainly see a lot of honey fungus on the specie in the UK.

 

I don't think you could rule out an old lightning strike as a contributing factor either.

[Fungus]

an old lightning strike as a contributing factor.

 

Scott,

.

[Milly]

I am not convinsed that it is Honey Fungus as I have never seen any signs of fungus is that normal? The tree looks like it has been sick for a number of years I have only been here a year. Any suggestions for treatment ? Our new forester will arrive in September I hope he will have some ideas.

[Fungus]

I am not convinsed that it is Honey Fungus as I have never seen any signs of fungus is that normal? The tree looks like it has been sick for a number of years I have only been here a year. Any suggestions for treatment ?

 

Milly,

Yes, that's normal. Necrotrophic parasitic Armillaria species almost always for the first time start fruiting when the tree is dead. And if it's a parasitic Honey Fungus (or P. schweinitzii or S. crispa), there is no effective treatment so the tree eventually will die.

[Milly]

Thanks for the info will now watch out for white rot may post some pictures of mushrooms if I find any in the forest and they look dodgy !

[Fungus]

will now watch out for white rot

 

Milly,

White rot if an Armillaria species is present, brown rot when S. crispa or P. schweinitzii are active.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

dont rule out the dry weather we have experienced for a long time now, a decade in fact.

 

milly, get a nice mulch layer around all your trees as much as yo can practicaly do, start with the best most prized trees that look a bit sparse and work your way round to them all.

 

This will help retain moisture in the soil and increase the biodiversity of the soil fauna, competing and preying upon the mycelium of parasitic armillarias etc

[Milly]

Will try that ,as we have some stunning trees that I would not want to loose.

Most of the trees are healthy bar that one the only trees that are suffering at the moment are the horse chestnuts as they have leaf moth and are dropping there leaves already.