phytophtora spreading

[wrekin tree care]

Hi all

 

I am cyrrently booking in a job that is reducing a few over-weighted limbs on a Horse chestnut and pollarding a Lime which has Phytophthora sp.

 

The trees are in a conservation area and approval has been granted but they want the lime doing first and then all tools sterilising and then to reduce the horse chestnut.

 

I my opinion would it not be better to to the horse chestnut first and reduce the risk of contamination if there was some still on the tools. and there is alot more work in the horse chestnut. Or are they worried about saw dust going on wounds etc.. as its only about 8m away

 

any thoughts would be great.

[tommer9]

SOunds a tad over-cautious perhaps, given that (I think) its the wrong time of year for phytopthera to be sporulating (the time it is infectious). However I am unsure myself of how effective propellar is on tools...I mean unless you bathe your saws' parts in the stuff surely you will miss some anyway? Your theory on cross-contamination may have something in it though.

What benefit is there to pollarding an infected tree though?

What sp of photopthera is it?

[wrekin tree care]

hi the tree officer did ay what type and on the proposal it just says sp. i think they want the lime retaining as they dont want to expose the canopy of the horse chestnut to winds so they stated for it to be pollarded and retain some shape. it is however over a wedding paogolar. they also stated to pollard as they want the disease to stay in the lime.

 

many thanks for replying

[tommer9]

If it just says sp. then usually they mean p. infestans IME, which isnt the end of the world, certainly not like p.ramorum. I cut a large limb off a hom oak a couple of years back with extensive levels of p.infestans on it, and to my knowledge it hasnt returned on that tree.

[wrekin tree care]

ok great thanks for your imput so there shouldnt be a proplem doing the lime first then and the black marks,spots are on the main trunk about 5m up tree itself is about 20m

[tommer9]

Black marks.......oozing, like this?

Edited December 30, 2011 by tommer9

[wrekin tree care]

yeah something like that but a smaller patch

[tommer9]

Well that tree was diagnosed as having ramorum....

[wrekin tree care]

ok they should of said in the report. there isnt any bubble area like on your photo though and does it effect limes? just small black circle and few dead branches in canopy