Fungus

How would you evaluate (separately) fortuitous fruiting of both species like this then ? ---

David, 1. Just as I don't know the U.K. that well, because I visited London and on another occasion Cambridge once and while visiting friends, who then lived in Broadmayne and now live in Southampton, explored the southern country side including Lime Regis, Stonehenge and the National Forest. So I'm really looking forward to visiting the U.K. and see some of your and Tony's favourite locations. 2. If you can still read a bit of German, here's a dramatic report on the decline of pedunculate oaks in Nordrhein-Westfalen Eiche und Eichensterben, just across the border of the Dutch region where I live. P.S. : note that in this report (again) there is no research on the ectomycorrhizal macrofungi, nor on the tree species specific ecosystem done nor documented.

A threat, yes, benine no, because it is a (biotrophic) parasite slowly killing the tree while decomposing the (dead) wood of the base of the trunk and/or the root plate. The risk can not be determined without further in situ assessment of the amount of wood affected by the mycelium of G. pfeifferi and/or the other Ganoderma, which both cause a white rot with selective delignification.

Rob, This is the classical dilemma between your professional evaluation of and responsibility for the risk management of the tree and the emotional input coming from the client. My "armchair" advice : never neglect or ignore your skilled and balanced opinion, because of a client not being able to come to terms with the "departure" of his much loved tree. If he can live with a completely reduced or "undressed" tree, which effectively is a form of passive euthanasia, so be it.

Yes, possibly, the total number of Dutch veteran pedunculate oaks being few and far between. On the other hand, within the borders of the town I live, we have 65.000 40-100 years old Quercus robur and another 20.000 40-80 years old Q. rubra on roadsides, which are damaged by traffic a lot, so I see my share of infections with Laetiporus sulphureus, Daedalea quercina, Phellinus robustus, Fistulina hepatica and Armillaria ostoyae, with the first three being the major parasites of Q. rubra. And last year and this season, 30-60 % of all Q. robur being defoliated by Operophtera brumata and OPM, last year followed by oak leaf mildew on the second generation of leaves, you can imagine what my living environment looks like today .

Tony, 1. ... and IME both Platanus, loosing its complete root plate and Robinia, on top of that, loosing its major roots, with both tree species being unable to effectively regenerate roots needed for stability, and (even pollarded) Salix (loosing buttresses, vertical delamination and splitting in half) too. 2. IME Fraxinus and Perenniporia can often grow old together, to the stability of Platanus and Robinia however, P. fraxinea can be detrimental on a much shorter term.

David, O.k., o.k., well documented , I'm convinced.

And then again their is a striking difference between tree species like Fraxinus and Fagus being under attack of the biotrophic parasitic Pholiota squarrosa, which can survive and compensate for the attack for many years, and trees such as Robinia, Platanus, Populus and Salix, which can become dangerous because of the decay of buttresses and/or root plates within a much shorter period compared to the first two mentioned, as is shown in my Album : Pholiota squarrosa.

Rob, 1. Could be either the site of the initial entrance of the mycelium, or the breaking through site of the mycelium and crusts on their way out. 2. Correct. 3. Could be, could also be a sign of activity of the mycelium of the sometimes - especially on beech - Ustulina accompanying Meripilus giganteus.

It seems like the occurance at greater heights of I. dryadeus shows some similarities to the also not very often fruiting of Fistulina hepatica at higher spots. See : Inonotus dryadeus.

And with Ganoderma while still white, colour reddish to pale brown when scratched or bruised, as can be seen in the second close up of the sterile lump.

Tony, Because of the distinct yellowish layer appearing as first layer ("fire test" with match, sparkling just like an orange peel) after the upper surface is scratched or damaged, I consider all the brackets to be of G. pfeifferi. -

Tony, !!! As an addition to the text : just as for most other (biotrophic parasitic) Inonotus species, it is documented that I. dryadeus not only causes a white rot, but also a soft rot. Note the striking resemblance beteen the attacking strategies and the preferred anual fruiting spots of both the mycelia of I. dryadeus and Fistulina hepatica, which both live on/in Quercus robur (or Q. petrea) and Castanea sativa, tree species producing "vinegar" acids as a defense weapon against attacks of other parasites or wood decomposers, and the typical reactions of both tree species on the attacks of both macrofungi making long term survival of the tree (with the fungus) possible. A question, did you ever see I. dryadeus and F. hepatica, both species being "vinegar" acid "consumers" and essential in the tree species specific ecosystems of the same trees, fruit at the same time and at close distance on the same tree ? And I'm linking my previous Inonotus species strategies post to the text. ---

Both times correct .

Like we have our royal princess Irene, sister of queen Beatrix, who runs a tree hugging center in The Netherlands ?

So this might be an identifying marker for Armillaria as opposed to Phytophthora and AOD then ?

Tony, No, it's not, it looks more like I. rheades, which only grows on trunks of Populus.

The Chinese (and I) like the Black fungus or Mu-Err (Auricularia polytricha) even better .

Matt, Like in this photo you mean ? I was told it is a genetic deformation caused by DNA of cells "going wild". ---

Matt, Maybe ask them to put up their tents at a camping site underneath the tree to give a bit of "body" to their action ?

Rob, No problem asking questions, I have joined this forum to answer them as much and far as I can. 1. Correct. 2. Correct, partial defoliation of the crown is always an indication of widely spread infection and/or blockage of the cambium by the mycelium or crusts of Ustulina (or by Armillaria or Meripilus giganteus). 3. Correct, the same goes for a lot of other tree species without heartwood. ---

Paul, That is exactly what worries me, not knowing what we're up against by identifying and fight or at least control the causing organism, before it reaches my countries of first concern. And a question in return : did you see any flying insects (see : prior and present photo's) lick from the black secretion associated with AOD, or is it just confined to the (vinegar) acid rich cambium leakage caused by (rhizomorphs of) parasitic Armillaria species, as I so far have documented this phenomenon ? ---

Correct : also known as Hirneola auricula-judae. And you seem to have photographed two "Nail fungi" too . ---

David, See my post to Janey : OPM. ---

Rob, After building the first black (telemorphic) crust, Ustulina always develops its next at first whitish to greyish (anamorphic) layers on top of old black crusts, so that is no indication of the state of decay the wood is in. As a general rule, one could say, that the more black crusts are present and the thicker the layers of the crusts are, the more the decomposition of the wood will have progressed and the more the cambium will have been affected, which can be traced back to the poor foliage of the crown. And that is a general statement, because in Tilia, the wood decay f.i. can develop ten to twenty times as fast as in beech. Concerning my "judgement", do bare in mind, that I'm giving an "armchair" opinion on an affected tree without having seen it in situ myself. And by the way, what is a TPO ? ---