AndyElliott

My suggestion would be to stop and take a step away from the tree with any saws and drills for a moment. Firstly you need to quantify the problem – what’s the condition of the tree internally and therefore what’s the probability of failure. Without knowing this how can anyone recommend remedial work (crown reduction etc), what are they remedying? The suggestion of a Picus based inspection is a reasonable one. For me I would avoid using a Resistograph unless I really needed to (and I have one). If you consider the not uncommon situation whereby a mature Beech with a limited (compartmentalised, contained, or with slow progression) infection by a Ganoderma spp organism, is subjected to crown reduction that further wounds, reduces energy resources, and changes its physiological and structural balance with the potential to reduce any growth/energy expenditure strategies it may have in use to limit decay; couple this with a well-meaning drill being used to break through any existing defensive walls the tree may have already formed, and the potential for the intervention to be negative is obvious. It may be that following accurate assessment of the trees condition no work is needed; it may on the other hand need remedial works – pruning or felling due to location and target potential… but the first step should be accurately knowing the condition and with a minimal damage as possible. For what its worth that would be my take.

Inspected a lime in a park in scarborough a couple of years ago and the entire tree was covered in lines of shallow holes. Spoke to a local ornithologist about it who was very exited! now the local twitchers monitor the tree - apparently its a woodpecker behaviour seldom found in the uk, although it is documented in US and in mainland europe by some woodpecker species.

definately ganoderma - the real giveaway is the texture and colour - the ganoderma is 'cocoa brown' on the inside, the phellinus more of a 'buff brown'. you wouldn't cut into a phellinus f/b that easily either - it really is as hard as hell. which ganoderma? adspersum / applanatum - without looking through a microscope is a bit of a guess - but being local and looking at the form/host/location I would guess adspersum - but would still put a ? next to it.

Rob, i guess there's your clients options. Fell them and be safe, or remove the crowns and be safeish. removing the crowns of mature trees, as opposed to the pollarding of younger trees as a regular maintenance regime, may make them safe for now, but your client will have to be happy for more regular inspections, regular re-cutting, (arguably) reduced aesthetic value, and a higher potential for shedding of re-grown branch tissue (targets?). I guess the location and clients attitude will govern your next move. Me... if given those targets and a site not ideal for decaying habitat poles, i'd have it away.

isn't trichoderma sp. as common as muck - by which i mean its just about present in all muck and yet other fungi still compete and flourish:confused1: The hort industry has used it for eons but their stuff is selected and developed for very specific uses - i.e. different types do different stuff - some useful for one thing but not for another. i don't think there is a type that would be a universal zapper of the kind you suggest? trichoderma virride did used to be treatment for a widish variety of arb ailments i seem to remember, but not in such a form. As for the sealant - wasn't the problem with wound sealants always they may stop fungi from passing through them but they invariably sealed the little beggers in that were already there, creating nice microclimates that sped up decay rates. Didn't schwarze himself do some research showing increased decay following micro-drill damage compared to much larger damage by increment borers - something again about the ease of fungal colonisation when given a neat little abode. maybe our desire in the past to seal, hide, or cover stuff made us feel better rather than benefitting the tree.

Ganoderma adspersum / applanatum (probably 1st) on a swedish whitebeam. up north we have this loads, and they get really dodgy, taking them over at ground level without little trouble. seems the S.whitebeam has almost no answer to the decay it causes. (by the looks of the crown i wouldn't park my car under it in a breeze either). have it out .

couple of things. if you said monitor and a section of the tree failed it doesn't necesarily mean your responsible at all - what were you monitoring for? even then negligence on your part may not be the case. i think you should find out why and how it failed before you admit any liabiltiy (especially if in a LA). If limbs killed by Ps. are more prone to failure - then this may be true of HC deadwood in general. why reduce a tree for fear of failing deadwood? if there's deadwood then remove it from over a target, if the trees dead then same, and always keep an eye out for secondary pathogens - but there are loads of hc's touched by Ps. years ago that are fine and dandy. oh and watch out with A. x carnea - also has a completely different type of canker problem characteristically/historically.

whoa there... slow down with the hack and slay a bit! loads of stuff could have caused the staining, and are you sure the staining caused the failures? first of all whats the target situation? the dead people are already dead... the picture looks pretty rural? but if you think the situation is dodgy, why not investigate the old wounds and cuts before you start the butchery... maybe you'll find worse to come, maybe not, but if you dont look ya wont know until its too late. crown reducing mature maiden beech trees? i'm sure we're all a little uneasy with this, and especially if you don't know why, or indeed to what extent you need to go to; mind you the ganoderma might thank you if you knacker the trees vigour any more. More investigation needed for me i think.

The terrevent was used by kew gardens to decompact around their trees that were showing signs of stress, followed by mulching underneath the canopies. Last time i heard they had great results with it. The airspades seem to be all the rage at the moment, not sure of the long-term results... they don't decompact so much as remove the top soil, they then usually mulch over the top - i know that again they seem to have good results in the short term, but i would be concerned about the new root growth they stimulate being shallow and very prone to compaction problems again; plus the damaged root tissue (from the spades blast) being open to infection by secondary organisms? just my opinion of course, as i've seen no long term studies either way.

The white stuff is not beech bark disease... its felted beech scale (insect). This has a link to BBD in that it can pass it on, but in itself is not problematic (it can be scrubbed off with a mild detergent if you like - usually only bother on specemin trees). BBD's is a bark killer that can allow other more serious fungi into the tree via the dead bark / cankers etc - so keep an eye out for that - but not initially/necessarily a structural concern. its a copper-leaved var. beech so leaves can have huge variance in colour and condition etc? hope this helps.