Bundle 2

The pollination of all crops depends ( in part) on bees....It is worth an estimated £4 billion p.a.... It is a sad indictment indeed, that a farmer should be so divorced from his responsibility to the biodiversity of this country. It's sometimes a frustration you could do without when on a job, but you did the right thing. Ive only ever battled wasps up a tree myself. Id like to find a feral bee colony. At a guess, these were a colony that has swarmed, and become lost to their keeper!

My bad..SOD....(apt!)

We seem to be losing @ half a dozen every year within a couple streets of me here in Norwich. Here the policy is a stump left at chest height (H&S presumably) til it gets ground out......

....and feral colonies are increasingly less widespread.

Smart decision Gavin. Its worth a bit of dough to keepers to collect the critters.

What...? The FC have been engaged in clearfell ops to eradicate this.....Phytopthora is such a huge genus as to be very misleading,. You mean AOD...which effects larch!

That sucker's been half asleep for a while....still think it could be Phellinus spp.

Fairly self-explanatory... Improving 1APP – next steps Planning Portal Director – Views and news

Looks like two trees in that ( dreadful) photo..One behind, taller and a slightly different color. Im surprised they didnt allow but then, it looks okay to me.

Or a Phellinus...I agree David. Except you spelt it wrong!

Someone needs to have a word with this Meripilus character and tell it to keep it's head down and it's mouth shut....

I m not sure I agree with you there. The fungus will change its strategy..Once down, I would expect the tree to be consumed in saprotrobic mode . Why work harder than necessary? And it looks rather orange to me!

Why not in merip thread? There appears to be less fruiting body this year...? The roots at the basal junction...( sometimes called "zone of rapid taper "- between 1-2 m from stem ) clearly showing compensatory growth. Ive just been rather irritated by a thread on the uktc concerning this fungus. No mention of the partner in crimes' identity ( second decay infection ) and claims that a root investigation is beyond reasonable cost. Move straight to fell. Fair enough, there may be more to the situation than revealed. I am not convinced. They go on to discuss the spelling of Meripilus, as if it is suddenly the focus of the thread's core...Talk about head up one's posterior- sorry, a bit annoyed!

"Supporting a structure that size with steels is possible but looking at the basal area of the tripod I think it was more of a placebo for the public than a serious attempt to support the tree. I don’t think the frame ever had a prayer of preventing a failure." I think you may well be right... There is another way of looking at this I guess. " No publicity is bad publicity! "

Mate...i dont think this was as much "arboriculture" as a response to the "outcry" over the order to remove the tree 3 years ago. A case of heart ruling the head. I wouldn't read anymore into it frankly! These phenomena are apparently known as "Witness Trees"

And there appears to be some history relating to the tree's recent past to be found here. Anne Frank tree - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are some more images to be found here. Famous Chestnut: Anne Frank's Tree Topples in High Wind - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

Its a good point mate....? The fact is I think infection within urban tree populations shows a preference for the "common host" associations that are listed in the preamble ( within the texts) to those above. You are quite right...I should have listed them and thank you for showing me up! Perhaps we are seeing the effects of climate change. Whats interesting is not so much the species associations we are clocking as the fact that we are now seeing these associations in the uk where before they may have been more prevalent within europe than here. And, as has been unequivocally inferred in the above thread/posts, we see a change of associations within site specific criteria......like urban populations.

Sorry to be a pain but....I would accept that prunus is indeed atypical and my reasons are both that it is not listed as a host,( more than a general nod in the various texts perhaps under the guise of "broadleaved trees" ) and the root systems of prunus tend not to be comparable to so many other broadleved root architecture. The point I was wanting to make though is that as far back as 1999, those species listed by Schwarze, Engels, (Mattheck) and Lonsdale were to include horse chestnut, willow, poplar, ash, rowan, lime, elm, and more unusually, even some conifers (false cypress and fir ) I just like being a smart a**e !

A little more information than we needed there I think! Nice illustration of VTA in the larix. Probably the best example Ive seen!

"Only personally ever come across Merip on Beech, Oak & Plane, Maple & Ash before." David, I am interested in why you associated "oak & plane" and similarly, "maple & ash" the way you have. Is it the combination of species that you are trying to highlight in both cases or an accident of expression? Tim.

I hope not too. I would hope the professional arborists involved were not zealous enough to make foolhardy claims about the stability in a bid to have this tree retained. As was said, there did appear to be a significant crown sail...? Its not that often you get to see stem failures like this one...Thanks for posting.

I would say yes....Hypothetically. It is a no brainer. Phytophthora is major player in the world of plant pathogens.... Phytophthora - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I hate to split hairs with you Plippy ol'mate, but I sincerely hope and fully expect to see a return to an urban landscape with fully grown, mature trees whilst moving away from an aversion for the larger tree. Larger, full grown trees simply provide too many reasons why they offer what we will inevitably come to realise is a very necessary service....Cooling, shade, flood mitigation, biodiversity, amenity value and all the social benefits that are recognized to go with them, just to name a few. I'm sure you know the arguments ... but what you posted seems to totally dismiss this reasoning. You are worse than the fatalists ! I share your view however and like nothing better than to see "unmutilated" trees in the landscape. I dont see any reason why the countryside cannot be brought to our urban doorsteps. Sadly, I fear we will see our urban development eek away at more and more of whats left of our countryside, our heritage. It does not leave us with much choice other than to integrate the two with some sensitivity and smart design. Edit: Sorry for derailing the thread somewhat!

The legislation is out there..... Austerity Countryside"...Plan to sell off nature reserves risks 'austerity countryside' | Environment | The Guardian If as a nation we disregard our conservation duties, we will be held account for the failure and likely fined... Im guessing theres no one single answer.And yes...I think the managers should be held more accountable. But as they arent...( what was I reading...a T.O. who only gets paid 4 1day a week ) I suppose it is upto us as indivuduals to champion the cause and keep hammering away at those who bang out the contracts and RA policies and the like. Promote the systems that are already in place that work but which are being ignored by managers... Its a pertinent point that Monkey D makes re inspections. It flags more work for the authority and increased costs. We cant win. The truth is, we cant afford to lose. Many feel it is all fooked anyway. Some still deny global warming. Christ, some even deny the holocaust...Nowt as strange as folk !