Sycamore die back

[arb culture]

Hello all,

 

Whilst I'm thinking about tree diseases, I was wondering if anyone ever found out what was causing the geographically widespread die-back (and sometimes death) of sycamores?

 

This is a condition that I started noticing around ten years ago and it doesn't seem to have gone away.

 

Cheers

[jomoco]

Massaria?

 

Apparently a German import.

 

Fast-spreading new disease threatens plane trees - Nature - Environment - The Independent

 

Jomoco

[kev7937]

Massaria?

 

Apparently a German import.

 

Fast-spreading new disease threatens plane trees - Nature - Environment - The Independent

 

Jomoco

 

Sycamore's Acer pseudoplatanus to us not platanus spp.

[treequip]

Massaria?

 

Apparently a German import.

 

Fast-spreading new disease threatens plane trees - Nature - Environment - The Independent

 

Jomoco

 

That's different tree, what you call a sycamore isn't what they UK calls a sycamore

Edited May 29, 2014 by treequip
too late

[jomoco]

A pseudo phony eh?

 

Thanks for settin me straight.

 

Jomoco:001_smile:

[arb culture]

Thanks for the link anyway Jomoco - it was interesting even if it wasn't what I was looking for

[jomoco]

Yeah, that acute oak decline with a black exudate must be some sorta mutated Phytopthera?

 

Wiping thousands of Q. agrifolia from the map here in CA, bloody Black Plague!

 

I'm sure someone who actually knows what they're talkin boot'll be along soon tu help yu!

 

Jomoco:001_smile:

[David Humphries]

Hello all,

 

Whilst I'm thinking about tree diseases, I was wondering if anyone ever found out what was causing the geographically widespread die-back (and sometimes death) of sycamores?

 

This is a condition that I started noticing around ten years ago and it doesn't seem to have gone away.

 

Cheers

 

 

Perhaps sooty bark disease of sycamore caused by

Cryptostroma corticale

 

 

are there any specific symptoms that you've noticed with the trees that you have seen declining ?

 

SBD kills of the vascular part of the tree pretty quickly and leaves a black spore underneath dead peeling bark.

 

 

.

[arb culture]

Hi David,

 

No, it's not sooty bark disease (as far as I can tell).

 

There don't appear to be any symptoms other than the sudden die-back of small to large branches throughout the crown.

 

Usually the affected trees produce reiterative growth in the inner crown and seem to recover vigour (a bit like stag's horns on oak) but often the trees die or get removed because of the massive amount of deadwood they contain. Sometimes they just develop a thin crown and have low vigour for several years - until they recover or die.

 

There are no dead bark patches, there's no sooty growth. Sometimes there's fungal activity at the base, but this seems to be a secondary thing - only coming in (or becoming a major problem) after the tree is already weakened or has died.

 

I know that several long experienced arbs in this part of the world have commented on changes to the way sycamore behaves when cut. I am told that it is considerably more brittle than it used to be - eg it will tend to snap rather than hold and swing on its hinge. I don't know if this has anything whatsoever to do with the condition I've noticed.

 

Cheers

[David Humphries]

Perhaps look at Verticillium Wilt, this too affects Acer and is noted on the species as well as SBD by Forest Research

 

It can show as wilting of parts of canopies and dieback

 

The affected parts will have dark streaks running around the growth ring.

 

It's a soil-borne fungi Verticillium dahliae

 

If it weakens the trees I guess they may be susceptible to Armillaria also

 

.