Kretzschmaria deusta & Ganoderma applanatum on Birch

[Nick Harrison]

Looked at a customers mature silver birch tree yesterday that has a small patch of K.duesta near base of the tree and a couple of G.applanatums bit higher up the main stem. This years growth on the ganoderma is markedly less than previous years, am i right in thinking this is a sign that the tree has less healthy wood available for the fungus to feed off thus internally the tree could be deteriorating? main stem looks to be bulging in the general area of the brackets also which is a bit worrying.

 

Also not sure how worried to be about the K.Duesta, haven't seen this on a Birch before, appears to be the only bit of this fungus, is still fairly small, about 4 inches across? customer reckons this is first time she's seen it but i obviously can't be sure it wasn't there previously.

 

Above all these fungal fruiting bodies is a wound from a major limb tearing off in the past, are these fungus related to this old wound?

 

rest of the tree doesn't look amazing, numerous areas of epicormic growth yet foliage appears to be at the same stage of defoliation as a nearby healthy birch of about same age. havent had a climb in so not sure how stem/leaf growth is.

 

Customer loves the tree and really doesnt want to see it go but target around the tree is a bit dodgy, shed directly beneath and customers house within easy reach if tree failed completely, prevailing winds would push it in that direction. is on boundary with a neighbour so potential there to also damage their property.

 

any suggestions would be appreciated, don't want to send her down the path of decay detection etc as she hasnt got loads of money,

 

cheers

[skyhuck]

Get it down, ASAP, would be my advice.

 

4" of K.Duesta is plenty, you often see very little evidence of it, until the damage is already done.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Get it down, ASAP, would be my advice.

 

4" of K.Duesta is plenty, you often see very little evidence of it, until the damage is already done.

 

Indeed, though if there are no targets within reach why not let it do its thing?

 

Kretzschmaria has done its work from within by the time you see it outside, combined with a gano one doesnt really need to see the tree to know the scenario.

 

is it truly Applanatum? if it is it will be indicating lots of dysfuntional wood anyway, if australe then dysfunction is irelevent in birch its poor compartmentalisation and defence would be no match for the strategies of australe.

[Nick Harrison]

bearing in mind the proximity of sheds/houses etc i think i'll have to deliver the bad news to the lady, thanks guys for the feed back, much appreciated

[Fungus]

Looked at a customers mature silver birch tree yesterday that has a small patch of K.duesta near base of the tree and a couple of G.applanatums bit higher up the main stem. This years growth on the ganoderma is markedly less than previous years, am i right in thinking this is a sign that the tree has less healthy wood available for the fungus to feed off thus internally the tree could be deteriorating? main stem looks to be bulging in the general area of the brackets also which is a bit worrying.

Also not sure how worried to be about the K.Duesta, haven't seen this on a Birch before, appears to be the only bit of this fungus, is still fairly small, about 4 inches across? customer reckons this is first time she's seen it but i obviously can't be sure it wasn't there previously.

Above all these fungal fruiting bodies is a wound from a major limb tearing off in the past, are these fungus related to this old wound?

rest of the tree doesn't look amazing, numerous areas of epicormic growth yet foliage appears to be at the same stage of defoliation as a nearby healthy birch of about same age. havent had a climb in so not sure how stem/leaf growth is.

Customer loves the tree and really doesnt want to see it go but target around the tree is a bit dodgy, shed directly beneath and customers house within easy reach if tree failed completely, prevailing winds would push it in that direction. is on boundary with a neighbour so potential there to also damage their property.

 

A fatal combination of a panic fruiting perennial Ganoderma (white rot with selective delignification) and first time fruiting K. deusta (soft rot) on birch, indicating the mycelia of both fungi have totaly decomposed the wood needed for stability of the tree : fell it ASAP !

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

gerrit i was reading fungal strategies of wood decay in urban trees last night, it says the ganos are also simultaneous white rotters?

[Fungus]

fungal strategies of wood decay in urban trees, it says the ganos are also simultaneous white rotters

 

In vivo or in vitro ?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

In vivo or in vitro ?

 

good point, i will go see.

 

in the meantime i am assuming we would check to confirm with selective de lignification by taking a core from a living tree assessing its decay characters and also isolating the fungi from said cores? to get an accurate in vivo assessment of the situation?

[Fungus]

we would check to confirm with selective delignification by taking a core from a living tree assessing its decay characters and also isolating the fungi from said cores? to get an accurate in vivo assessment of the situation?

 

If you have a laboratory and microscopes at your disposal, yes.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

If you have a laboratory and microscopes at your disposal, yes.

 

thanks gerrit, those scopes are becoming an increasingly dire need.

 

I feel so desperate right now, and i hate it.