Doomed? Fungus on Beech

[Sylvia]

This looks like Ustulina D. ?

Is it a goner?

 

 

 

[daltontrees]

K. d. Prognosis not good.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

looks to be on compression side, not so bad as tension side, whats the condition of the remaining wood?

[ScottF]

Depends on the targets, crown form, crown condition, exposure to wind and a number of other factors.

 

That said, it's not something beech recovers from on the whole as any compartmentalisation tends to be pretty ineffective. Could be retained for a while depending on the above factors.

[Sylvia]

Looks as though it's got to come down - definitely Kretsch/ustulina.

Fed up about losing a lovely beech.

Life-changing for the fungus as well.

[Paul Barton]

But you've asked a question and then not responded to the above comments!

 

What's the frequency and nature of targets near the tree? Is it in a sheltered or exposed location?

[Andy Collins]

I have a very large beech on an estate I manage the trees in, it has had K and Meripilus ever since I took over some 15years ago. It has withstood the storms and conditions in that time. The client is aware of the trees condition and we have moved any fixed targets, yet still she stands. IF there are no targets, I would leave it to its own natural devices.

[Sylvia]

I'm sorry I should have answered - the tree's on a sort of promontory above a steep single track road which runs past our garden from the bottom of the village to the top- it's high up, fairly exposed, looking out over the village; it's growing [not my choosing] in what amounts to a wide stone box of 10 foot high retaining walls - depth unknown because I'm not sure how deep the solid rock starts - the tree leans to the east - to my untrained eye/not sure if trees fall with the lean/the fungus is on the eastern side/can't be sure of the height: whichever way it fell it would probably hit the roof of one of 3 houses or fall onto the road/popular pedestrian route below- probably complete with schoolchildren or ramblers or me....

[Sylvia]

post mortem

 

 

 

[felixthelogchopper]

Looks like you made the right decision.