Fungi id please

[Dowie]

Hi I was asked to price a beech for removal by the owner as she is concerned that the tree is likley to fail because of this fungi at the base. The tree is in the middle of the lawn and about 24" dbh, crown looks healthy seems a shame to remove as its a nice looking tree just not sure on the fungi.

 

cheers for your help:thumbup1:

[sloth]

It's a real shame that a tree of that size should be felled because the owner who, presumably knows no different, assumes an unidentified fungi makes it likely to fail and dangerous. Surely if you found a crack in your wall you wouldn't just go and get quotes to underpin your house. You'd have the situation assessed by someone who knows their onions and go from there, armed with more decision aiding information.

Anyway, I suspect this to be Ganoderma pfeifferi. Check the fungi directory. Obviously hard to say without seeing the whole tree, but beech can, and often do, go on for decades hosting this fungus without failure. What/how close are the targets if it's in the middle of a lawn?

[Dowie]

I Totally agree I was somewhat suprised at their reluctance to further investigation, the tree certainly adds valus to the property. If it were to fail then it is close enough to pose a threat to the house. But as you say if it were my tree I would certainly explore all avenues before getting rid. I am going back there next week so I will try to convince them to have a more detailed survey done.

 

Thanks for your input.

[nepia]

I've recently had a full (Picus-supported) report carried out on a big old beech in West Sussex and the prognosis was a pleasant surprise, namely 'the tree's got years in it yet; I recommend a 30% reduction staged over two years'. And that from a professional who at the same time and to our surprise condemned an English Oak advising immediate fell or pollard.

So go to it with your efforts to persuade the owners to investigate their beech further.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

it could also be rsinaceum, though pfeifferi more likely and a safe ish assumption given host species.

 

the ganos are all feared equally, which is rather sad, pfeifferi being almost expected in an old beech. and having an almost species specific relationship bar a few isolated Oaks (which I would like to see evidence for) and with a little care trees can be retained almost indefinitely.

 

It is frequently my experience that it is far less about the fungi than it is about the growing conditions and host combination. All three factors making the only basis for a professional assessment.