Kveldssanger

Thanks for that link. Here's another good one - Illegal foragers are stripping UK forests of fungi | Environment | The Guardian

19/08/15. Fact #10. Cladoptosis is the process of natural branch senescence (or deterioration), which involves the re-allocation of resources to other parts of the tree's structure and is principally induced by a lack of light, which means retention of the to-be-shed branch is not efficient. As the branch is 'shut down', conifers will deposit resins and broadleaves will deposit tyloses / gum, reducing the likelihood of pathogens entering the dying branch (such as specialised opportunists). At the protective zone, which typically exists around the area of the branch collar, wood becomes significantly lignified and is rich in extractives. The abscission zone, which resides on the outer side of the protection zone, eventually becomes the point of failure, and the protective zone then begins the process of wound occlusion as would naturally be expected. In stem junctions of juvenile oaks, the formation of regular xylem disables the abscission zone immediately after flushing of a branch, and in mature trees the frequency of active abscission zones increases with age and declining vigor. Benefits of cladoptosis include that of trees not having an overly-busy crown (that increases wind sail area) and having a sustainable maintenance (maintenance respiration) requirement - lower branches are usually shed as light availability decreases - particularly when below 20%, as this is the usual cut-off for when branch retention operates at a 'loss'. For species such as willow and poplar, the shedding of branches can even be a way of propagation. As willows and poplars are commonly found along water courses, one of their propagation techniques is to shed branches via cladoptosis, having these shed branches travel down stream and then potentially take root when washed-up. Sources: Bhat, K., Surendran, T., & Swarupanandan, K. (1986) Anatomy of branch abscission in Lagerstroemia microcarpa Wight. New Phytologist. 103 (1). p177-183. Kozlowsky, T., Kramer, P., & Pallardy, S. (1991). The Physiological Ecology of Woody Plants. UK: Academic Press. Rust, S. & Roloff, A. (2002) Reduced photosynthesis in old oak (Quercus robur): the impact of crown and hydraulic architecture. Tree Physiology. 22 (8). p597-601. Thomas, P. (2000) Trees: Their Natural History. UK: Cambridge University Press.

Laetiporus sulphureus. Chicken of the woods. Heart rot - very slow decay. Likely very unharmful.

To be honest I tend to opt to inspect from afar, as I don't like meddling with brackets unless I absolutely have to. For instance, that fine L. sulphureus was removed by someone not long after I took photos of it - absolutely gutted, if I'm honest. I may return to take a small cutting however, from one of the edges - would this impact upon the bracket's ability to sporulate? The oak on which the oak dryad sits is covered by a TPO, though I'm putting in an app. for a 2.5m (to 3m in places) reduction. It has a large wound from old storm damage within the lower crown and a (most probably) extensive decay column, and combined with this, I think a slightly heftier reduction around February of next year (to not stress the oak more than is necessary) and a subsequent cycle of maintenance every few years should be sufficient; unless, of course, it begins to deteriorate, though with this species of fungus there is no real deterioration in health, with anchorage roots simply being decayed from the underside. Given my unwillingness to start probing into the oak, and the lack of funds for any sort of tomography, it'll be one of those where I err on the side of caution though don't get over-zealous and look to fell it. It's a nice oak, has good historical value, and was important enough to be retained and then preserved later on. If the decay is isolated to that side, the remaining roots should be sufficient. My only concern is that the ground is tarmac'd all the way up to the base - on all sides! Likely some serious root severance in the past when this area was built approx. 50 years ago, as the TPO was only put on in 1973. As for the I. hispidus, in one of the pics it looks like there's a little maggot / larva in the bracket. Funnily enough, this bracket is fruiting from the same spot a bracket came out last year. Potentially good compartmentalisation by the ash?

Otherwise go through the ABC Awards website, get the Lvl 2 in Arb' spec and teach yourself? Saves money!

I. hispidus on F. excelsior: P. dryadeus on Q. robur:

100% safe!

Of course my musings are based rather generally, as I am not familiar with this case. Absolutely it can be considered insensitive (or otherwise) to disregard the psychological 'distress' caused by a tree that is casting shade, as can it even be considered wrong to impose a judgement when existing completely outside of such succumbed emotion (caused by the tree to the resident). I would still, for the most part, fall back onto the premise that the end game should be to protect nature wherever possible however. If we lead ourselves through life seeking only what we want in order to make our individual lives better / easier / nicer, there is only one true end and it's not a pretty one. There must come a point where the paradigm changes and we move into a future where we actually (and by that I mean properly) respect nature - not just when it suits us to do so. Anyway, I'll keep an eye on this one.

L. Boddy I think published information of desiccation tolerant fungi (on ash) in a separate journal, and one on elm as well I think. This research is featured, at least somewhat, in the book.

17/08/15. Fact #9. There are two main types of mycorrhizal fungi: (1) Endomycorrhiza (arbuscular) - the fungus penetrates roots to form characteristic intracellular vesicles and arbuscles, occurring both in angiosperms and gymnosperms (approx. 80% of all higher-tier plants have such a relationship). Roots 'infected' with endomycorrhizae retain their root hairs, and the role of the fungus is essentially that of expanding soil 'availability'. Such species are not particularly diverse throughout a woodland area, though can sustain diverse plant populations. There is inter-specific and intra-specific competition between plant species for the establishment of symbiosis with such mycorrhizae. (2) Ectomycorrhiza - the mycorrhizae do not penetrate living cells in the roots but, instead, only exist between them. Ectomycorrhiza are largely species-specific, and there is thus less competition for their resources when compared to endomycorrhiza as tree species can form a symbiosis with many ectomycorrhizal fungi species simultaneously without much competition. N.B. Some mycorrhizal species are ectendomycorrhizal, which essentially means they possess the traits of both endo- and ecto- species. Research indicates suggests they may be important in the revegetation of disturbed sites and in the establishment of conifer seedlings in post-fire situations. Sources: Duhoux, E., Rinaudo, G., Diem, H., Auguy, F., Fernandez, D., Bogusz, D., Franche, C., Dommergues, Y., & Huguenin, B. (2001) Angiosperm Gymnostoma trees produce root nodules colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi related to Glomus. New Phytologist. 149 (1). p115-125. Malloch, D., Pirozynski, K., & Raven, P. (1980) Ecological and evolutionary significance of mycorrhizal symbioses in vascular plants (a review). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 77 (4). p2113-2118. Thomas, P. (2000) Trees: Their Natural History. UK: Cambridge University Press. Trevor, E., Egger, K., & Peterson, L. (2001) Ectendomycorrhizal associations–characteristics and functions. Mycorrhiza. 11 (4). p167-177.

Cheers.

Amazing pictures, David. All the woods round Southend / Rochford way are lapsed hornbeam and sweet chestnut coppice with oak standard (and the odd birch). Not much diversity in terms of fungi. Must get down to the New Forest next year and go hunting for some...

Will have some great snaps of Pseudoinonotus dryadeus tomorrow. Below are two of which I suspect both are Fistulina hepatica. Can anyone confirm? Subject #1: Subject #2: Both on mature / veteran oak.

I got it for £200 or something round that figure from the USA from Abebooks a few months ago. It was on Amazon for £1000 at one point. Madness. I know this won't help, but it's a great book.

I have a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Conservation, and am starting the Lvl 4 with TreeLife this September with the classroom-based course. I am close(ish) to Harlow, so am studying there.

Distance learning will of course require strictness, though it's easily doable. Over the last six months I have near religiously spent most of my free time learning through reading of books, journals, etc, and have built up a huge volume of notes. When I first started I didn't see myself sustaining such a level of effort, though it's second nature to me now. The one thing us blokes love is routine - nail that down and you're good to go. Ask yourself this: do you want what you want bad enough to spend the necessary amounts of time pursuing the goal? If the answer is yes, it shouldn't matter whether you do distance learning or learning via the classroom, though of course there are subtle differences between the two - the guidance and camaraderie you get in the classroom may aid with your learning, though if one drills down into specific should you really need others to spur you on for something you want (on a personal level) with such desire? Look at the self-taught botanists like John Bartram: a farmer who ended up being appointed by King George as the Royal Botanist in the American colonies (and this was in 1765, way before the internet could help with learning!). Pardon the philosophical approach though if you're that eager then dive right in.

Realistically speaking there is going to be a soft ceiling in terms of age that, when passed, means a career change isn't necessarily sustainable. I doubt you have reached that, however. Do you see yourself being able to work on the saws for the next 10+ years - how is your level of fitness? Have you thought about the more academic side of the industry?

I was mainly commenting on Gray git's comment just above. Speaking on a more macro scale, even the consideration to fell such old trees because of light issues is, to me, poor form. I don't understand the disparity between needs and wants (in favour of wants) - what we need long-term is good health as supported by functional ecosystems, whilst what we want short-term are temporary pleasures that are driven by self-centred (anthropocentric) desires. It strikes me as antithetical when we realise we need to retain our green structures, yet proceed to remove them for reasons that are whimsical at best.

16/08/15. Fact #8.75. A little fun fact for a pub quiz... On average a 12m tree (40ft) can uptake as much as 225 litres of water (50 gallons) via its roots per day, can make 5kg (10lbs) of carbohydrates from its 1,800 square metres of leaf area, and during the synthesis of carbohydrates, release 1.7 cubic metres (60 cubic ft) of oxygen back into the atmosphere. Per year, the leaf area will utilise 50,000 cubic metres of air and directly filter-out one ton of particulate matter. Cool, eh! Source: Davis, M. (2015) A Dendrologist's Handbook. UK: The Dendrologist.

Speaking honestly, it is gutting to see important trees felled for such trivial reasons.

Absurdly amusing how collecting plant seeds back in the 1700s and 1800s was seen as clandestine at times. Who ever would have thought horticulturalists would have, on expeditions to China, disguised themselves as Chinamen (complete with pigtail wigs!), given themselves fake Chinese names such as Sing Wah (Bright Flower), gone outside the zone permitted to foreigners and then gone exploring in a bid to smuggle back seeds and specimens for collections and for the nursery trade. Hilarious. The same happened in Japan with German surgeons working for the Dutch East India Company, who masqueraded as Dutchmen to get into Japan's Deshima Island (as only Dutch nationals were allowed entry to Japan for over 200 years until the mid 1800s), after claiming they were simply from the mountainous regions of Holland and their strong Bavarian accents were not because they were German nationals!

Do keep us posted!

Good luck - starting the Lvl 4 at Harlow next month myself. Eager to start.

Monolithing is of course a possibility, though should be a last resort. Granted it's less effort just to (in the rawest sense of the word) brutalise the beech, though its importance means it should rank above a meagre footpath. If we cannot treat such historic specimens with respect, what hope do we have and what precedent does it set. Push for retention as is (or as close to), I say. If not, do the bare minimum to satisfy concerns and seek to at least retain a standing structure for the saproxylic species that will no doubt be heavily associated with its presence. Even go to lengths to keep removed wood at the base of the tree, fencing the area off and allowing for vegetation to grow up around the base. Even consider opening up the canopy around it, getting light in and further aiding with beetle diversity and generational turnover because of the warmer internal conditions of the beech (and its associated (existing and developing) cavities).

Gary, pages 9-16 are incredible. Such a wonderful succinct history of botanists that introduced tree species to the UK, either by collecting seed through travels, or as gifts from connections such as gardeners for royalty in countries abroad (inside and outside Europe). Reading this book has inspired me to buy John Evelyn's Sylva.