Armillaria + Acer

[Tom Joye]

Some documentation of an Acer failure after infection by Armillaria. It failed a couple of weeks ago during a very heavy storm that passed over Belgium.

 

 

It looks like there was internal crack. 2/3 of the root system failed due to extended decay.

 

Last 4 pictures are of an uprooted tree (also Armillaria) and a still standing one (for now), both in close proximity of the first one. All trees were on a slope.

[Fungus]

Some documentation of an Acer failure after infection by Armillaria. It failed a couple of weeks ago It looks like there was internal crack. 2/3 of the root system failed due to extended decay. Last 4 pictures are of an uprooted tree (also Armillaria) and a still standing one (for now), both in close proximity of the first one. All trees were on a slope.

 

Tom,

Together with Tilia, Acer is "famous" for the damage done by Armillaria species. The main difference is, that :

- Tilia, which associates with generalistic ectomycorrhizal symbionts, often succeeds in keeping the infection mainly confined to (a cavity in) the central wood column (see my photo) thus reducing the killing of living tissues, so that the tree can stabilize by compensating growth and regenerate (epicormic growth) from the remaining living tissue after the tree has fallen (long term survival strategy),

- where Acer, which associates with endomycorrhizal microfungi, in an early stage is loosing living tissue and bark to the extend, that compensatory sapwood and callus can not be produced, as is shown in some of the last photo's, and the mycelium has free access to the dead wood, that is decomposed at "high speed". Acer react to this with mass production of seeds ending in panic fruiting just before the tree dies or falls (short term survival strategy).

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Edited September 9, 2011 by Fungus