Ustulina deusta

[Hannah]

just a vid of a beech with ustulina. Excuse the shaky coffee hands.

 

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[Marc]

I can't view the video, it say i have to accept you as a friend first, to be honest i'm not sure i know you that well, i think i'll wait a bit first i'm not one to rush into things.

[David oakman]

I watched the video i must be your friend LOL:001_smile:

[David Humphries]

Nice shots and Vid Hannah, thanks for taking the time.

 

Looks like the fruiting bodies are possibly associated with the dysfunction which is symptomatic of the two halves of the trunk splitting.

Really interesting callousing going on.

 

Like Johns' Gano vid of a week or so back, I find the concept of seeing the situation 'live' quite helpful.

It's handy to see an allround overview to help get a grasp of how the Tree is dealing with decay.

 

Bet Marcus would like to give this particular Beech a taste of his own style of videoing .

 

What are the targets?

 

 

 

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[Hannah]

This is at home so the targets are some really nice other trees that we dont want damaged, but nothing else really. It will be left alone to do what it wants.

[John Hancock]

Well done Hanna, told you it was easy – they’ll be no stopping you now!

 

It’s a lovely tree, not much of a target - so lets hope it stays. I found the worst case of ustulina I’ve ever seen a few weeks ago (at the Mug-house, which is a pub where the ‘Midlanders’ group were going to meet) Turns out I’m responsible for the tree as its within a closed church-yard. Looking forward to that job!!

[Colin Bashford]

Hannah

 

I would be most interested to know what the bud cover and then leaf cover is like this year on your Beech. Please also be aware that trees infected with this fungus are noted for most likely failing before any visible symptoms are known.

 

Colin

[David Humphries]

Colin, do you have any thoughts on the concept that Ustulina can be quite often post associated with an Armillaria attack.

 

Basing this on the fact that a lot of Id'd instances of Ust/Kretz, happening to be fruiting on areas of (roots/butresses/trunk) dysfunction, that also has advanced encroachment of both Rhizomorphs and Mycelium of Armillaria.

 

Could this suggest that Ust is capable, if not entirely acting, as a secondary infection, being saprophitic in nature?

 

David

 

 

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Edited April 5, 2009 by Monkey-D

[Colin Bashford]

Colin, do you have any thoughts on the concept that Ustulina can be quite often post associated with an Armillaria attack.

 

Basing this on the fact that a lot of Id'd instances of Ust/Kretz, happening to be fruiting on areas of (roots/butresses/trunk) dysfunction, that also has advanced encroachment of both Rhizomorphs and Mycelium of Armillaria.

 

Could this suggest that Ust is capable, if not entirely acting, as a secondary infection, being saprophitic in nature?

 

David

 

 

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David

 

What we dont know yet is the speed of progression of the decay from Ust.Kretz. What we do know is that most often the infection is likely via the roots and that the ripe wood is attacked long before it reaches the sap wood. I strongly lean towards the concept that it is almost always mainly parasitic and have seen far too many trees that have failed where Ust/Kretz is the only identified fungal infection. That tends to rule out it being saprophytic on most occasions.

 

By contrast I have seen numerous trees infected by other pathogens and decay inducing fungi, where Armillaria has clearly come in as a secondary decay fungi attacking an already weakened tree.

 

For reasons of current Court cases I would not wish and indeed should not say more on this matter.

 

I do however stress the recognised propensity of trees infected by Ust/Kretz being most likely to fail perhaps in adverse weather conditions, before any external symptoms occur. This includes all symptoms of VTA and dieback in the aerial parts of the tree.

 

The perceived acceptable risk of 1 in 10,000 of a failed tree killing someone is no comfort to those who suffer in such circumstances. Thus I advise Hannah to be careful and respectful of her infected Beech.

 

Colin

[John Hancock]

….i.e. if the tree has no target leave the poor thing alone.