The arborist's little helper

[Fungus]

Testing work done on an oak with fully overgrown vertical wounds by a woodpecker, which has a membrane at the back of its beak where it is attached to his skull, which registrates the resistance at the tip of the bill while the bird is testing whether a damaged tree is suitable for creating a nesting hole. The membrane keeps the bird from becoming headaches or worse by "barking up" the wrong tree.

If only we could train woodpeckers to do VTA-inspection this high up trees for us . And I wonder what they would charge for it .

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[WeeDee]

If only we could train woodpeckers to do VTA-inspection this high up trees for us . And I wonder what they would charge for it .

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I wouldn't pay them much - only chicken-feed.

 

Interesting info., Gerrit. Thanks.

[armybloke]

Like it and you have prompted me to search my pics as I have something similar. We touched on this in a previous correspondence when we discussed the merits of Woodpeckers favouring brown rot as opposed to white rot - softer boring potential?

[David Goss]

Very interesting.

So the fact that the woodpecker made these holes tells you what exactly? was it searching for a new home or just hunting?

From what i can see it says the wood is not sound and is continuing to rot away even though the wounds were closed. Now there is an extra 2 holes made by the woodpecker, so now the tree has to try and compartmentalise again over what seems to be dead wood?. Is the tree in danger of failing do you think?

[Fungus]

1. So the fact that the woodpecker made these holes tells you what exactly? was it searching for a new home or just hunting?

2. From what i can see it says the wood is not sound and is continuing to rot away even though the wounds were closed. Now there is an extra 2 holes made by the woodpecker, so now the tree has to try and compartmentalise again over what seems to be dead wood?

3. Is the tree in danger of failing do you think?

 

David,

1. For a new home in a living tree, because hunting for food mostly takes place on/in (partially) dead trees inhabited by all kinds of wood and pulp consuming "live stock".

2. Correct and I don't think the tree will succeed in (again) closing the wounds over dead and (partially) decomposed wood or a cavity at this height with the windloads it has to undergo as a free standing tree.

3. Yes, I think so, because by the looks of the vertical closing structure of the wounds (shear cracks), I expect a simultaneous white rotter, such as Phellinus robustus, being active without showing itself (yet), which changes the slenderness ratio of the trunk at this height dramatically.

[brothergrim]

the information in these posts has just blown my mind, awesome lol

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

IME woodpeckers in the u.k have two favoured scenarios.

 

oak colonised by laetiporus sulphureus

 

fraxinus (ash) colonised by Inonotus hispidus, which form long strips of necroses. In Ash/hispidus the nest above the fruit bodies, this indicates that to me at least hispidus is a crown coloniser and rots top down as apposed to base up.

[Fungus]

IME woodpeckers in the u.k have two favoured scenarios. oak colonised by laetiporus sulphureus fraxinus (ash) colonised by Inonotus hispidus, which form long strips of necroses. In Ash/hispidus the nest above the fruit bodies, this indicates that to me at least hispidus is a crown coloniser and rots top down as apposed to base up.

 

My field research has shown, that in The Netherlands, birches brown rotted by Piptoporus betulinus are top favorite, followed by Quercus rubra brown rotted by L. sulphureus or Daedalea quercina and then by Q. rubra white rotted by Phellinus robustus. With these bracket fungi, the nest openings are always situated underneath the annual or perennial FB's forming an awning, as is shown in the photos of P. robustus and D. quercina on Q. rubra.

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Edited August 11, 2011 by Fungus

[David Goss]

Sorry to derail this thread slightly but i just heard this joke and i think it fits nicely in this thread:001_rolleyes:

 

Two tall trees, a birch and a beech, are growing in the woods. A small tree begins to grow between them, and the beech says to the birch, "Is that a son of a beech or a son of a birch?"

 

The birch says he cannot tell. Just then a woodpecker lands on the sapling. The birch says, "Woodpecker, you are a tree expert. Can you tell if that is a son of a beech or a son of a birch?"

 

The woodpecker takes a taste of the small tree. He replies, "It is neither a son of a beech nor a son of a birch. It is, however, the best piece of ash I have ever put my pecker in."

 

:lol:

[Stephen Blair]

Giggitty