Tony Croft aka hamadryad

I am not 100% certain who is managing this one David, though I am trying to find out. i have a feeling Stileman is the consultant with his old company love and stileman doing the works. longdean pk hemel hempstead. it is great work, I am very impressed.

Note the fruit body of meripilus in the included region, failure due to dysfunction and fork attachment meripilus living as a saprobe, but possibly facilitating the failure "facaltive" note fruit bodies of meripilus, also fibre buckle at fracture points. This failure was not instigated by the meripilus, at least not fully. As you can see butt rot via Armillaria sp was the major player. heavy public (compaction) and urea from dogs all playing a part in this case me thinks. Root plate compensation "traffic cone" form due to meripilus.

This is a very mature beech, dual decay by Meripilus and G. pfiefferi. Note the root flare, compensation and "traffic cone" form increasing stability. The reduction works have resulted in a lot of regrowth from the inner crown, and making it more than possible to retrench this tree further. Meripilus is cleary managable in some cases, and it would have been a sad day if this old beech was felled, she is truly a specimen.

Yep, keep your eye on the thread some gooduns coming in.

O.k I've now seen enough footage of guys using "modded saws" to ring up butts in a way that can only be described as "efficient" to warrant some enqiuries into the pros and cons and even methods for speeding up a decent sized saw. I know some of you guys are familiar with this stuff so whats your views on this, hows it done, what can you do, and just how much difference can it make?

I presume your refering to the colonisation of new wood through penetration of barrier zones, rather than merely concerned with drilling into a tree you know already to be "unhealthy"

great post, lot of history in there. Those guys must of been fit! Some VERY skilled fellas too.

LOL, my bad!

Its impossible to age a tree without a core, accuratley that is. so many things influence a trees aged appearance and even girth when young semi mature. One trees rings may be considerably larger than the next, even of the same species genetics, location/environment, fungi all influence growth and age/stress factors

Oh no! they cried not another fungi thread by hama! Thanks to Mr Humphries mention of this in another thread i went looking and found this rather interesting doc on the much meligned Meripilus. A valid thread given the current theme amougst AT posters of this fungus. http://www.flac.uk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Monograph-on-Meripilus-giganteus.pdf I have to go along with his view, as I too have noted two (I be so bold as to even claim the potential of a third form) different forms, as youll see in the following photographs. I am also with him on the potential of reduction work to fagus infected with Meripilus, after all this action is in keeping with what we now know about a trees retrenchment and self recycling life cycle which includes fungal prosceses. The trees have after all existed with fungi since the begining, co evolutionary relationships. One day we will understand these things a lot better, but for now all we can do is keep trying to de mystify them, in the short term given the nature of the beast, probably wouldnt want an infected tree next to my house, but praying for an alternative option to felling. Host and cell type affect the mode of degradation by Meripilus giganteus http://modernarb.com/assets/media/Seeing%20Is%20Believing.pdf

It is a deep and chalenging subject, one that has consumed me like a fine rot and glad to see the infection is widespread too!

My only issue with JFL is using the T.H.R.E.A.T.S Abbreviation for his assesment methods. I think that was a bit naughty/silly because it imidietley puts the reader and Joe public on a negative standpoint. Therefore reinforcing the perception that we are all under some kind of attack from falling debris everywhere we go! When some of the industry is trying to "reverse" this paranoid view, for the sake of diversity and eco sytem health.

i reckon australe because it apears to be parasitic as aposed to the more saprotrophic applanatum, what was once called lipsiense. The reaction growth indicates that it is being eaten away at a steady rate hence my iD, probably be o.k till the tree loses vigour and vitality IMO Aint that book great tony, you toad i had to pay for mine!

your phelinus, may be robustus, not Tuberculosis im certain of that, too big by far the last and 8th species is p. aurivella and the lack of velum scales is due to rain. one of my personal faves is the golden scaly cap, a stunning fungi.

The first is defo a stereum, looks very dark on top and quiet thick and robust, i would say stereum Hirsutum but am inclined to go Stereum, nah its hirsutum defo! the jelly over the armilaria sp is neobulgaria pura. Var "Foliacea" Are we impressed yet! lmao

its took me a minute to get all this! I know what your saying now. I too am interested in the various TR ratios, and fungal decay types and tree/fungi combinations. The most interesting examples i find are the completley hollowed out trees at burnham, beeches riddled with inonotus cuticularis. White rotting causing the wood to sink and fold creating some very unique trees to this wood.

I see now!

A tree of that size could happily house a heart rotting fungi for decades, even a hundred years, so no suprize it fruited for that period of time. I would like to know just how decayed it was! you never said? exposed to high winds would mean it was constantly laying a good rootflare and would have had good residual wall thickness due to that.

tis actualy as common on poplars as on aesculus, white rot. this can grow to immense proportions, probably the biggest of all the bracket fungi.

Update for this one needed! NOT in anyway shape or form Bjerkandera adusta, the simularity to coriolus is the tricky litttle blighty that done me over for ages! this one is auricularia mesenterica, and you can bank this one! good find too, only know of it in one place ever.

hate to be anal about these things but.... laetiporus sulpherus is "Chicken of the woods" Grifola frondosa is "Hen of the woods" Sparasis crispa is "the cauliflower fungus" just for the record like!

i will have this beauty one day, can I get a grid reference ten digit so i can shoot it next season? VERY well found that man, and respect due for leaving it in situ.

LMAO! If any single geeky arb females are listening nows the time to speak up! phone numbers on a postcard to.....

damn, BUSTED, I will do anything to improve an image! lmao:laugh1:

How can a cavity be larger than the radius? Im not sure what your meaning here?