Dieback On Cedar

[alliaria]

Hi All,

Looked at this Cedar today, extensive upper canopy dieback, the trees about 150 years old give or take a decade, not good at ageing trees, but I would expect it to be contemporary with other trees close by.

Anyway, spotted what I thought was Kretzschmaria at the base with associated raised dead bark.

I,ve never heard of this on Cedar, so I thought it may be some other Ascomycetes because it was unlike normal K.

Dug around for rhizomorphs, none to be seen, though I always suspect Armillaria in there somewhere.

Peeled off the dead bark and the decay/colour underneath resembles Phytophthora.

Anyone with any thoughts?

Cheers

[Matthew Arnold]

It might be Phaeolus schweinitzii with Armillaria in attendance too. Strange with the very localised dieback on that one branch normally it would be in the crown and farther branches/stems from the trunk.

[alliaria]

or even lower canopy dieback..doh

[alliaria]

Hi Matthew, there is fairly extensive dieback in that sector, and tip dieback throughout, although that may be climatic.

[Jesse]

Hi All,

Looked at this Cedar today, extensive upper canopy dieback, the trees about 150 years old give or take a decade, not good at ageing trees, but I would expect it to be contemporary with other trees close by.

Anyway, spotted what I thought was Kretzschmaria at the base with associated raised dead bark.

I,ve never heard of this on Cedar, so I thought it may be some other Ascomycetes because it was unlike normal K.

Dug around for rhizomorphs, none to be seen, though I always suspect Armillaria in there somewhere.

Peeled off the dead bark and the decay/colour underneath resembles Phytophthora.

Anyone with any thoughts?

Cheers

Armillaria my thoughts too also Sparassis crispa, did you notice a smell of turps when you were probing ?

[alliaria]

Hi Jesse, there was no smell of turps.

[Jesse]

Hi Jesse, there was no smell of turps.

 

What about Coniophora puteana ? It is a veteran so more likely to be a combination , Armillaria would be my first thoughts and ties in with the crown die back/ sparse foliage.

[treeseer]

Along with ID, extent of spread is good to know. Perhaps remove more dead bark, so to find the margins of the infection? The tree's response at the margin, or lack of same, informs management, along with the name of the pathogen. Sounding with a mallet should get you to the margins quickly.

 

Turf culture to trunk seems the causal issue--a shovel might be handy.

[alliaria]

Hi, The tree is a Cedrus libani, I did sound with a hammer revealing a number of discrete areas with raised bark, but none associated with the blackened bark areas.

I haven,t removed enough bark to determine extent of occlusion, but I will today.

Decay spreads into buttress roots where I can see.

Will do some digging and take a lens today.

Cheers.

[alliaria]

Sorry, the blackened area also has raised bark.