Tom Joye

I second that. One usually does not need to pull more than 6-7m to do the job, so I extend my 7m tirfor cable with Dyneema type ropes: same WLL as cable, way lighter.

Different species will normally not root graft, but if some of the treated stumps were oak, translocation of glyfosate through root grafts is perfectly assumable.

That's because Belgium is the 'Far West'

Gerrit, I did perform the 'match test', both on the old and young FB's and it came out negative: it's not G. pfeifferi. I did not microscopically check the spore size yet. Some more pics of Pholliota aurivella popping out on this lying stem.

I feel sorry to hear that, Hama. He're in Belgium, we've been down that road already and now are desperately trying to get back, with small 'forest reserves'. It's a pity to see history repeat itself, only in a different country.

Exactly what I have been telling my students for years, untill a student came to me last week during a break to tell me I was being too negative. In his opinion I had to rephrase that as 'efficient', not 'lazy'. Guess there's some truth in that

Just not the same ... you should know!!! I read that thread (of course I did!), but it only triggers me to look for the real thing I saw the Laccaria last friday! Temperatures and humidity have been exceptionally high here during the last weeks, don't know if there's a connection.

Thanks for the hint, Gerrit, will do that. Once you've seen a fungus 'in real life' and you're familiar with it, it's much easier to recognise it afterwards, even in a different setting or if it looks totally different. But untill that day (with only 'book knowledge' of a certain fungus species and without being familiar with the 'tips and tricks'), a lot of fungi just look the same, I'm afraid

Do I sense some jealousy there? And thanks for pointing that out, I didn't notice the little Mycena, I was sóóó happy that I finally found the Laccaria amethystina I heard so much about during the past months

I would be inclined to go for the option of phased reduction. Don't like props that much. In my opinion propping is the last measure to be considered, for example if the tree shows no growth response to a first reduction.

Thanks Hama, means a lot to me coming from you!

Nice pics, David How do you recognise Gymnopilus junonius from all other similar looking species (a lot!)? I'm not very familiar with this species, alltough I apparently took a picture of one (as Gerrit told me)

Thanks a million Gerrit! I realise now that I got carried away a little I will try to refrain myself and only upload 10 pics at a time

Hi, some more doubtfull or unidenified finds of the last days... 1&2 Perreniporia fraxinea on Robinia? (couldn't check the rot type or colour of the tube layer) 3 Is this the kind of bark pattern (on willow) a symptom of a possible Armillaria infection? 4 Leakage spots (on oak) as symptom of possible Armillaria infection? No other symptoms visible 5&6 Daedalopsis confragosa ?? on (poplar/willow?) stump 7&8 no idea, on oak 9 no idea, on fallen tree (don't remember wich species) 10&11 Leakage spots (on another oak) as symptom of possible Armillaria infection? No other symptoms visible 12 Oudemansiella mucida ? on semi-submerged beech branch 13 ?? on beech stump 14 what could be causing the killing of the moss/lichen on this beech tree? the pattern looks like a fungus could be 'guilty' 15&16 Pholliota on beech; looks like aurivella to me, but this low on the tree? 17&18 beech with first small FB of Meripilus on the right and a Kretzchmaria ridden cancer on the left. Is there a known link between Kretz and cancer formation (remember I read this once, but don't remember where) 19 is this the famous Laccaria amethystina (on previous beech)? If so, a first find for me, after I have been looking for it for months 20,21&22 veteran Tilia tomentosa (great tree!); what is causing this kind of bark pattern? Is this just a patch of old bark clinging on to this fast growing reaction growth stem? 25&26 soft rot (?) and demarcation lines on beech stump --> Kretzchmaria? I couldn't find any FB's on the stump 27-28 Fistulina hepatica on oak? If so, a first find for me :thumbup:Acting as a secondary agent here, given the white rot on the outside? 29-30 partially sterile Daedalea quercina? 31 Emerging Lycoperdon pyrifomre on beech root? the FB was only 1cm diameter 32-33 Is this Pholliota squarrosa acting as a secondary agent here? black melanine layers and leakage spots were visible, but no other symptoms of Armillaria

I have been typing faster than I was thinking Matt and Geoff are completely right: the lower the f-number, the larger the diaphragm opening

Steve, In 'photography slang', you need a large diaphragm opening to get the kind of pictures you want. Don't know how you have to do that on your camera (try reading the manual ), but it is written down as an f with a number (f4 --> f22). the higher the number, the larger the diaphragm opening. Good luck! Tom

And by the way David, some of the foresters and workers of this park came on the trip to Hampstead Heath last year, so this is the park where Caspers wild service tree seedling is being raised

No injuries or near misses that I know of. One guy tripped over a bridge and drowned during an epileptic attack, but that was not tree related.

Thank you Gerrit, I didn't smell, so no idea. The biggest FB's in the last pictures were almost 20 cm in diameter. Isn't that too big to be Galerina marginata? By the way: where do you see the brown spores? On the ring?

Thanks! This was only the second time I saw Grifola 'in the flesh' and the only thing I remember is it actually smelled like rotten flesh (or maybe some dead rabbit was burried in the leaf litter )

David, there's no systematic approach to VTA in this park (as in many other parks and cities in Belgium). It's more of an 'ad hoc' approach: if one of the workers detects a dangerous tree, it's felled or monolithed. Deadwooding is rare, especially in the forest areas. The park is closed every evening and it does not open in the morning if strong winds are predicted. Because of the very strict star shaped design (all trees in the 11 km of avenues are planted exactly 10m apart), there is, however, a systematic approach to the replacement of the avenues: * every avenue from crossing to crossing has been given a code * every tree has been given a number + L/R for left or right, also the dead or absent trees * every individual tree gets a score between 0 (dead or absent) and 5 (perfect state) * if the average score for an avenue drops below a treshold (to be set by the manager), the whole avenue is felled an replanted. * if I'm right, the objective is to replace every avenue tree in a 120 year cycle

Yes it is! I'm suprised you managed to find it with my vague description. After having been neglected for over 50 years, during recent years, a lot of the avenues (11 km in total) have been replanted and I think up untill now +/- 36 ha of rhododendron ponticum have been removed. Hence the 'open' appearance of some areas. This map shows the whole 'park' (the dark green area to the west is a private enclave, still owned by the previous owners of the whole park), the forest to the north (but separated by the highway) is also state owned. There are some plans to make an ecoduct over the highway, but it might take decades before that happens.

I promise I will!

Didn't have the knowledge about panic fruiting and biotrophic/necrotrophic parasites back then, but now that you mention it, it sure fits Thanks for the insights, guys! About the Phellinus robustus, I don't have any pics of the fruiting bodies, only of a broken stump. Maybe the rot can tell you more. The picture of what I tought to be geotropy in Fomes comes from an American oak only meters away and in a similar state. Might be the same fungus...

Its' a 110 ha 'park' in the vicinity of Antwerp, but not really urban. The larger part is actually woodland with a very baroque star shaped avenue pattern, another part is more like an English landscape park, with groups of solitary trees. The whole park is accessible for the public. I think Gerrit knows this park: Vordenstein.