Large Beech Failure

[likeitorlumpit]

Thats worrying- I'm looking at a large beech which I believe has Meripilus. Lots of fruiting around the roots. Two targets busy road and flats. It is though growing healthily- no dead wood so I'm reluctant to pronounce death sentence on it. I'm interested how healthy was the new growth on this one that fell.

[sloth]

Tis a tricky one if it is merip. Its not at all unusual for a beech with it to fail in full leaf and seemingly healthy. There is a 'meripilus thread' here somewhere, worth a quick read through...

[likeitorlumpit]

I feel I've no option but to fell.

There was recently a cedar branch fail close by here that killed someone. My feelings everytime I passed the tree were that it was an accident waiting to happen. It had an old folks home built just behind it and the dead person had been sitting on a bench enjoying the view.

The tree is now felled.

I guess it's better to fell rather than risk it. It's almost certainly meripilus- I've photos of fruiting on my camera and I'll put them on here when I can work out how to.

[sloth]

Here we go http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=13300

A sizable beech with merip with high targets like a road or house and Id be worried about retaining it too!

[ScottF]

I reckon K. deusta helped do for this one.

[David Humphries]

I reckon K. deusta helped do for this one.

 

Not sure that K. Duesta would have been involved in the failure of the roots on that plate.

 

 

 

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[ScottF]

Certainly looks consistent with other beech I've seen failed with extensive K. deusta in evidence. The spalting looks fairly consistent with my observations on beech failed and felled with K deusta as well. It's a principal cause of failure in beech down here; I only rarely see Meripilus locally, but far more to the East.

 

Any snotty black mess around the buttresses B2T?

[David Humphries]

Certainly looks consistent with other beech I've seen failed with extensive K. deusta in evidence. The spalting looks fairly consistent with my observations on beech failed and felled with K deusta as well. It's a principal cause of failure in beech down here; I only rarely see Meripilus locally, but far more to the East.

 

Any snotty black mess around the buttresses B2T?

 

 

Where you've seen it fail with Kretzsch, has it been the roots or lower trunk region ?

 

 

 

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[born2trot]

No snotty black mess or any fruiting bodies at base . Tree was in full leaf but had suffered some crown dieback . Spalting was consistent all the way from top of trunk to bottom and wood was solid . I would have taken the decision to climb which is concerning me .

 

[RobRainford]

Not sure that K. Duesta would have been involved in the failure of the roots on that plate.

 

 

 

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I agree, K.d is usually confined in the base and without a cross section of the base it's presence cannot be suggested. The size of the root plate that's failed here I believe does not characterise K.d. But is very much common for M.g failures. I have a picture somewhere of a base of a K.d infected tree. I'll dig it out.