Ash with Pholiota squarrosa. Opinions please

[Island Lescure]

On National trust property. A ranger got us in to check out this old ash that has had the shaggy scalycap fungus for at least 8 years. More fruiting bodies emerge every year. It is just within falling distance of a habitation. Very few people pass by under it (cul de sac with 2 dwellings housing 3 people). I didn't have my mallet or probe with me. They will not get a decay detection device to check it out.

The tree has good vitality: Not much dead wood, good growth increments.

Would you say that the base is compensating enough to deal with the fungus?

 

The pics are not able to upload. I will try again tomorrow...

[detritus21]

Rots the lignin. Go back with a mallet. Reduce or remove due to the potential targets of habitation.

[Kveldssanger]

Rots the lignin. Go back with a mallet. Reduce or remove due to the potential targets of habitation.

 

Hold fire. At least sound it first. No absolute need for a reduction, necessarily.

[detritus21]

Just giving some options. I just lose the ability to type when drunk. Sounding would br my first point of call and make a decision from there. Given the increasing amount of fruiting bodies appearing each year the Long term prognosis for a tree that is close to or within falling distance of a property is not going to be good. Also given I is on NT property removal would be the likely course of action.

[Kveldssanger]

If it's an old ash and it is to be damned, then just monolith it. Great deadwood habitat. Also opens up the ash to colonisation by other fungi, which can have positive effects for fungivores (species of insect, notably on Inonotus hispidus).

[Paul Cleaver]

pics needed before I say anything

[Island Lescure]

Here are the pics:001_smile:

[David Humphries]

Looks vital from these images.

 

The failures I've noted with P. squarrosa on ash have all been trees showing notable decline in the canopy.

 

Perhaps consider reducing the wind load potential.

 

 

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[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Looks vital from these images.

 

The failures I've noted with P. squarrosa on ash have all been trees showing notable decline in the canopy.

 

Perhaps consider reducing the wind load potential.

 

 

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couldnt agree more, classic old ash 10's of thousands like this with scaley, rarely falling but have to say most older ones retrenching via hispidus in canopy, so yeah reduce all day long.

 

corking tree worthy of care:thumbup1:

[Paul Cleaver]

you said very few people pass under it so crown reduce by 2m - consider taking a little more out of that low large branch which is asking to tear out at the trunk