Paul Melarange

I'm going to go for Lactarius sp. Jordan (2004) described Lactarius controversus as 'solitary or in scattered groups on soil with poplar'. He also describes it as infrequent! So your guess is as good as mine! 😀 Hopefully Mr Humphries will have the answer 😃 PS I didn't make this one up 😜

Thanks David. Are you going to the conference next week?

Looks like Phaeolus toaddimageus to me 😝

You are right, the acute stem unions are likely to be the point that this tree fails (caveat - based on the photos only). However, I have often found this type of failure to be progressive (so happens over a period of time, worsened each time there is a significant wind event). With this in mind monitoring trees with these type of defects is always a good idea. So re-inspection yearly and after gale force winds (assuming there is a significant target!). If it is the intention to retain the tree as long as possible, you could carry out some crown reduction combined with installation of a flexible bracing system. You have to consider the cost v benefit at the end if the day. Is it worthy of all that additional cost for works & monitoring? If it's not got any significant ecological value or visual amenity, then maybe not?!

I found this fruiting body at the base of an old oak the other day. I think it is Ganoderma lucidum. However I've never seen it before so wondered what others thoughts were? It appeared to have a 'stalk' (third image).

Hi Will, My post certainly wasn't meant to be a personal attack on you. I apologise if it seemed that way. I just find it really frustrating when this sort of thing happens (and it happens a lot!). Interaction between trees and fungi is immensely complex. Certain fungi affect individual tree species differently. I.e Inonotus hispidus tends to be particularly invasive on ash, whereas on London Plane it has very low invasiveness and is often successfully compartmentalised. The tree vitality can have a significant affect on how invasive certain fungi can be, as can the interaction of different species and strains of fungi. It is worth remembering that hollowness and the extent of decay isn't a reliable criterion in which to assess tree stability. Stem size, height, crown size (wind load) and location (exposure to wind) all make a massive difference on how hollow a tree can be before its stability is significantly compromised. The speed at which fungi can degrade wood really interests me. Again it is extremely complex, however, a good friend on mine (Luke steer up in the Cumbria) likened the process to you or I trying to eat a room full of marsh mallow. It would take ages because we would have to eat a bit, digest it, go back eat a bit more, digest it etc. In order for fungi to break down the cellulose and or lignin and hemicellulose in the cell wall, they have to secrete enzymes which requires energy and time. Consequently it can take decades for fungi to degrade wood!

It is a real shame and bl*@dy frustrating! There are a number a methods of assessing the structural integrity of stems and whole tree stability. Tree removal which errs on the side of caution and based on little or no detailed investigation, shouldn't be happening anymore!

Hi Kevin, My Lecia disto is not the touch screen one. I don't have any experience of that one I'm afraid. Although I had a similar experience to you when I first got mine. I just couldn't get it to measure properly, it kept on coming up with error messages. When I Spoke with the distributor they advised me to use a tripod. That obviously wasn't going to happen, so I persevered. I'm glad I did because I seem to have got it to work fine just by holding it.

I use a Leica Disto D8. It took a bit of getting used to, but now I couldn't do without it! I have also used the truepulse lasers which are also pretty good. A suunto hypsometer would be the cheapest way to go, but they take a lot longer to get your measurement.

I'll be there on the Tuesday and Wednesday Gary.

Dr Keith Alexander (entomologist) has provided the ancient tree forum website with some fantastic information on invertebrates found on fungal fruiting bodies. http://www.ancienttreeforum.co.uk/ancient-trees/ancient-tree-ecology-wildlife/invertebrates/ He explains that annual bracket fungi have their own associated specialist fauna. The beetles Triplax russica and Orchesia micans develop on brackets of I.hispidus.

That sounds about right. There was a nice G.resinaceum fruit body forming on a the buttress of an ancient oak up the road from me. Unfortunately it appears someone, or something, has knocked it off 😏

Nice pics 👍

I recon you are right, 1st one looks like L.sulphureus and 2nd looks like G. Resinaceum

Any photos? What species are the declining trees? Are they different ages or recently planted? Does the garden get waterlogged? Do they have a regular lawn treatment? Has there been any significant landscaping carried out in recent years?

As you say the root zone isn't necessary the concern here, it is the lifting of surfacing due caused by the incremental growth of the surface roots. This is likely to happen regardless of the permeability of the surfacing. I assume a pavement/walk way of some sort needs to be there? If so, you could recommend the construction of a slightly raised walkway supported by mini stanchions located between the roots. This would allow for the incremental growth of the main surface roots without distorting the surfacing. This probably wouldn't work for the curb edgings though?!

I think that was loadhandleruk's point!

Haha, well spotted. I'm thinking leaf minor might not be as bad as leaf miner 😀

I like your thinking Gary. However Chlorophyll fluorescence testing is unlikely to pick up the effects of leaf minors over a long period of time. Chlorophyll fluorescence testing is likely to be limited to detecting very short term stresses that directly affect the chlorophyll molecule I.e. acute mineral deficiencies or poisoning. Scientific methods that measure the amount of sugars produced and stored are likely to be the most useful when assessing the impact of horse chestnut leaf minor over a number of years.

Just to elaborate a little on my previous post, the fruiting body looks as though it formed on the main stem just above the branch collar. This indicates that there might be a strip of dysfunctional tissue above and below the collar. As I mentioned before D.confragosa is saprophytic, so it will be restricted to the dysfunction (which is probably quite localised). However, being willow (not the best at compartmentalising) it would be prudent to tap around the stem with a mallet to check that there is nothing more serious going on. The vitality of the tree i.e the length of extension growth, density of the crown etc can help you get an idea of the trees ability to compartmentalise decay/dysfunction. If the tree demonstrates significantly reduced vitality such as die-back in the crown, you should certainly check for more extensive decay resulting from fungi other than D. Confragosa.

The spots on the leaves are the mines of the horse chestnut leaf minor - Cameraria ohridella. These are more of a cosmetic issue than anything else, although may affect the health of the tree in the very long-term. There is something else that has caused the decline in this tree. It might be bleeding canker of horse chestnut - Pseudomonas syringae pv aesculi. It could also be root damage, drought, poisoning.

The simple answer to your question is no it won't cause the tree to fail. Assuming it is Daedaleopsis confragosa, it is saprophytic I.e. it lives on dead material. It is likely to be associated with the dead branch that you have removed. If in doubt over the structural integrity of a stem, it is always worth just giving it a tap with a mallet. If it doesn't sound like a drum, chances are its probably ok!

Rmsmit are you currently employed in the arboricultural industry? If not, what sort of experience have you got in doing tree work? And what sort of knowledge do you have regarding trees generally? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just interested 😀

Agree with you completely 👍👍