quirkyquercus

Paul - they were felled in a local council park where a great deal of felling has happened recently. I do not believe that it has all been necessary for either silvicultural or safety reasons. Nepia - thanks, that thread mentions the research by Straw et al, but I can't find much else on the internet regarding hornet clearwing and the structural integrity of poplar trees. I am surprised by this and was wondering whether anyone else has had any experiences with forestry and this moth?

These trees (four photos attached) were felled 2 days ago. Species is hybrid black poplar, Populus canadensis I think. There is evidence of hornet moth (Sesia apiformis) exit holes in the stumps. Location is Suffolk, England. When they were standing, there was minimal evidence of crown dieback and no fungal fruiting bodies. I am told they were felled for safety reasons but have not been given a proper diagnosis. Firstly, I know it is tricky just from photographs, but do these trees look like they were about to fail? What kind of rot/colour stain can you expect in poplar wood? Whilst the centre was crumbly in the fourth stump, there was also a lot of sound sapwood. Secondly, does an attack by Sesia apiformis automatically ring the death knell for the poplar tree? The only research I can find is Arundell and Straw 2001 which seems to suggest not. Thanks