Soggy ash root

[Warren Stirling]

I was planting a hedge yesterday and the spade went right through a 4" in diameter root from a nearby twinned stem ash(approx 2 m away). I took a section out and the whole root was like a sponge with evidence of a decay fungi. Nice smell so my instant thought was Armillaria. Identified the root closer to the stem and had bit of a scrape as the tree is to be removed later this year. Again, a white mycelium present under the bark but otherwise relatively untouched.

Looked at the overall health of the crown, which is good and spotted what I think, considering the host an I. hispidus fb about 25' up next to a old pruning cut.

 

Base of tree looks ok with bark intact all round so no evidence of rhizomorphs developing.

 

Have a look at pics and thpughts welcomed.

 

Warren

[ADB328]

Some HF i would agree looking at the demarcation lines but something else causing the Brown rot in the centre that i couldn't say.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Some HF i would agree looking at the demarcation lines but something else causing the Brown rot in the centre that i couldn't say.

 

 

with you on this, the yellow soggy wood is classic HF, but that brown decay is interesting, not many bar rigidiporus that I can think of, but this is unlikely on ash.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I think the brown is possibly a soft rot, it has a very brittle fracture surface and ash goes very brown during even the white rot of Hispidus, which is known to have a soft rot mode (for dormant season barrier penetration from my reading of Schwarze)

[Warren Stirling]

Thanks for your input guys, I'm going to have a closer inspection of remaining roots this week. As said the tree is coming down but to hedge height so may be able to furthur document any developments, fb's etc.

 

W

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Thanks for your input guys, I'm going to have a closer inspection of remaining roots this week. As said the tree is coming down but to hedge height so may be able to furthur document any developments, fb's etc.

 

W

 

look forward to it:thumbup1: