David Humphries

You're confusing me with a cast member from the Detectorists

Ha, actually looks like that. No, common or garden green bottle glass.

Interesting find under a small girdling root on a maple.

Anamorph or teleomorph ?

Happens all the time, that one catches me out constantly

Just a heads up to a new book that's just been published by Andy Overall Fungi, Mushrooms & Toadstools of parks, gardens, heaths & woodlands http://www.fungitobewith.org/fungi-book/ Andy's a field mycologist but has published articles on tree specific fungi among many other things The new photographic guide is not specifically aimed at trees and fungi (more generalist) but you can find most if not all the usual associated species. We've been helping Andy for a few years with various bits and pieces and in return he's done a lot of our microscopy and general identification work as well as our survey work. A very symbiotic relationship that's been fruitful in developing my own understanding of the kingdom of fungi. I can highly recommend this resource.

Yep, that's an example of felling for highway safety .

The highest % of imported sawn softwood into the UK comes from Sweden, Finland and Estonia and the majority of sawn hardwood comes in from France, Germany and Latvia (FC stats) To my knowledge, the U.K. Is not one of Polands export destinations for timber. we do get lots of their apples though.

From talking to friends who care, It's quite apparant that due to changes in legislation there has been a significant increase in the number of trees being felled across Poland, both in urban areas and nature conservation sites like Bialowieza. There is a concerted effort by activists and citizens to lobby against the removal of so many trees but these passionate groups need help both nationally and internationally in raising awareness. If you have the time and you're interested please take a look at the crowd funding website below for more information on the campaign https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/save-poland-s-trees-nature#/ Thanks for reading

Willow looks like it would go on working as a coppice if put on to a 5 - 10 year cycle. The sycamores look to have good potential for bats, I'd be looking to pollard them.

The galls of Dryomyia lichtenseinii all over the leaves of this Holm oak in the Basque region of Spain Each gall has a larva of a mosquito from the Cecidomyiidae family.

Perhaps, it's definately a possibility, but I haven't seen the fruitbodies of the Armllaria so not able to identify which species, it may just aswell be one of the more benign species like gallica/bulbosa taking advantage of dysfunctional wood volumes.

Roadside beech which has had the fruiting of the giant polypore (Meripilus giganteus) for at least the last 5 years. Not one of my trees but I spoke with the owner and the neighboring Tree Officer about my concerns over the last couple of years, particularly as the canopy vigour was starting to decline. The owner eventually got a team in to dismantle it. The decay still had a while to go but not one to take chances on. Interesting to note that the rhizomorphs of Armillaria are also associated.

Fine example of aerial rooting on this oak pollard in the Sierra Andia region of the Basque. Can trace the 'roots' from the inside of an old occluding wound at the end of a hollow scaffold, right down to the soil.

Not on these ones, they only hold the trees unique identifying number.

Is the bracket soft (ie; an annual fruit body) or hard as in perennial?

I talked to Ashtead about our trial in about 2008 but I don't think that they or Epping went ahead with it.

Blimey it was 10 years ago, but I seem to recall that the chips were about £3.50 each and the scanner about £400. Considerably more than conventional metal tags, but may have the potential to last longer and not be seen.

It's a hard slog Josh, but someone had to step up and volunteer Higher vitality trees (ones with lots of dense photosynthetic material) which are subjected to smaller sized cuts, (because the regrowth is younger and less size in diameter) can occlude and compartmentalise the wounds more effectively than lower vitality trees with large wounds. This will hinder fungal colonising species with wound entrance strategies (not including the dormant endophytic species though) The older lapsed pollards (with large diameter wood volume and tall old-growth poles) can end up having large tear outs which open large wounds which get colonised more readily.

Relatively recent Fomes fomentarius snap out, interesting to ponder on the profusion of epicormic growth below the fracture point. (in comparison to the adjacent trees without the brackets and less epicormic growth) Did the tree sense it coming and its pollarded itself !?!

looks like resinaceum

Unsure

A. tabescens for reference Rarely noted (never seen it personally) on the stem of trees unlike some of the other Armillaria species.

Just back from a return trip to the Basque region of Spain, and saw a few bits and pieces whilst there but it has been dry for most of the Autumn so not a good showing for mycorrhizal species. Fomitopsis pinicola on a douglas fir stump Fomes fomentarius on just about every dysfunctional beech tree Ganoderma australe on beech Ganoderma pfeifferi on beech Cyathus spp Hydenum repandum Phellinus spp on oak (possibly P. robustus)

A return to the trees of northern Spain Beech pollards at the Urkiola Monastery October 2017 Context A 10 year project sharing experience from the UK, Sweden & Spain on the ecology, cultural importance and vulnerability of pollarded trees across Europe. The Basque area (as well as similar UK sites) have many examples of where pollards left out of regular cutting succumb to dysfunction, decline and fungal colonisation by Kretzschmaria deusta, Meripilus giganteus , Fomes fomentarius, Ganoderma pfeiferri & G. australe leading to part or whole tree failure. The project has been focusing on the most successful ways of restoring lapsed pollards by a range of reduction techniques, to mitigate failure & decline. Wind loaded pollard failure associated with Fomes fomentarius 2017 Root plate pollard failure associated with Meripilus giganteus 2009 2007 A comparison of pollarding techniques was undertaken across the Basque region at various sites. A total of 38 lapsed pollards were cut in the Basque tradition (using axe/chain saw, down to just above the bolling) and in the Epping Forest and Burnham Beeches styles (using chainsaw and handsaws at a higher level in a phased 5-10 year cycle. 27 trees were cut by Spanish arborists and 11 cut by UK arborists , with both sets of climbers mixing styles. Basque style Epping Forest style Burnham Beeches style (Image taken by H. J. Read) 2009 After three growing seasons a team of ecologists and arborists from the UK visited the three sites and measured the vitality of the canopy growth and decline of the target trees to assess the response and reaction to the cutting. Among other things like general vigour, the length & diameter of cut stubs, how many new shoots and clusters of epicormics growth were recorded from 10 cut branches from all cardinal points per tree. Measuring on an Epping Forest style repollard Measuring on a Basque style repollard See previous blog entry & thread on the 2009 trip for further context….. Jan 2013. Observations of the 2009 measuring/recording were presented in the Read et al paper published in the Arboricultural Journal - ‘Restoration of lapsed beech pollards: Evaluation of techniques and guidance for future work’ Helen J. Read, Jeremy Dagley, Jose Miguel Elosegui, Alvaro Sicilia & C.P. Wheater. In conclusion the paper suggest that the pre-cutting vitality of a pollarded tree is an important factor and that retaining stubs of at least 500mm may be significant in the development of dormant buds. Avoid cutting branches over thirty years old as the ripe wood begins to deteriorate and the tree is less able to occlude wounds. 2017 A UK team from the City of London Corporation Open Spaces spent a week at the European Symposium on Pollarded trees, visiting sites, discussing experience on lapsed pollard restoration & looking at the natural heritage of the Basque region of Spain Image taken by Jez Young Monday On a drive south from Bilboa in to the Navarre region, our group stopped off at the Monastery at Urkiola to see large numbers of lapsed beech pollards. Tuesday Pollard Symposium at the Leitza Town Hall The conference started with a set of presentations on the veteran trees and pollards at the four Open Spaces of Burnham Beeches, Epping Forest, Ashtead Common & Hampstead Heath. Followed by presentations from Ted Green MBE, Ecologists and Arboriculturists from Sweden and Spain. Image taken by Jez Young Question time followed by a fantastic exhibition of cross sections of local ring & diffuse porous tree species Wednesday. Urkizu - pollard restoration work. Revisiting some of the 2007 cut pollards. 2009 2017 After an interesting hike up into the hills above Leitza, looking at pollards and Basque living heritage on route, the group participated in a field work shop with Spanish Arborists (Samuel Alvarez & Oriol the axeman) with the aim of further restoring a lapsed pollard (last reduced in 2007) by axe & chainsaw being directed by CoL Ecologists and Arborists. Thursday Urbasa-Andía Natural Park in western Navarre A visit with Swedish ecologists and members of the Ancient Tree Forum to see oak, beech & maple pollards in wood pasture grazed by horses & cattle. Maple pollards Oak Pollards Friday Oianleku - Aiako Harria Natural Park Revisit to the 2007 City of London cut pollards as well as assessing an area of Spanish hard cut pollards which appeared to have a high mortality rate. The Future Whilst the tradition of pollarding younger trees for winter fodder continues in the mountains and foothills of the Basque country, the project is ongoing with a few keen people cutting just a few old pollards each year and trying to source funding for the restoration program into the future. There is an appetite for an ongoing collaboration with Basque & Spanish arborists with the potential for working visits to the UK to work with Arborists in Suffolk and with the City of London Teams whilst working on the veteran pollards at Burnham Beeches in 2018. This was yet again an amazing and inspiring trip and I very much hope to return to enjoy the heritage and tradition of the Basque way of life. [email protected]