Quercus Robert

Isn't this issue strikingly similar to the plight of ash trees? I.e., weakened trees succumbing to a pathogen.

I've seen SOME squirrels. But certainly, in the forest of Bere, just for example, this same bark damage is all around (on sweet chestnut), and I've seen seen no squirrels. I'm not saying there isn't an army of squirrels out there; I did not realise they were so destructive. Jim, I did pretty much assume the warm weather was responsible for immature figs ripening. Oh! That reminds me: Investigating the warm weather - the unseasonably HOT weather, I should say - I came across the Arctic Methane Emergency Group. Arctic Methane Emergency Group - AMEG - Arctic Sea Ice - Methane Release - Planetary Emergency These scientists are VERY worried about the release of methane hydrates from thawing Siberian permafrost. There's an estimated 10,000 gigatons there, 60 of which are enough to propel the planet into a Permian-style mass extinction. They also estimate a complete summer icecap melt either about now or next September. So that's quite exciting.

I have also noticed next summer's figs are ripening; obviously these should remain on the tree over winter then grow and begin ripening in about July, but here they appear to be reddening and becoming soft.

Egregious but not uncommon examples seen today.

Yes, I agree it looks like squirrel damage. My only hesitancy here is that I see it on so many trees.

Do the leaves seem as though they've been scorched?

Any good? It seems like I'm joking but it didn't look as bad as this when I was next to it.

Looks like it may even have spines on the bottom rather than pores.

OK well spontaneous xylem cavitation is interesting. Has the weather changed enough to cause this? Presumably this would be dramatic swings in weather conditions causing sap pressure in the xylem to drop below that of dissolved air. Well, investigating this avenue looks horrendous. Re your comments on Milgram, I totally agree that people are, or would be, unable to change their behaviour even if (when) faced with the undeniable proof that their actions are devastating their environment. Look at Fukushima: they haven't succeeding in capping it. All the US environmental agencies did was raise their postulated "safe" level of radiation by about 10,000% - then carry on greenlighting more nuclear plants. I don't think people are stupid - I think a very quick calculation occurs when these issues arise, balancing long-term hardship against short-term gain, and short-term gain wins, every time, because that's how we're wired. Re levels of aluminium, I thought aluminium was reasonably plentiful within the environment. How can aluminium be in air? I am aware that it is a common link in certain human metabolic diseases (I include autism here), though every disease is of course unique and multifactorial. pH change - OK well there were efforts to establish soil monitoring schemes in the UK circa 2008... Defra, UK - Science Search ...under the auspices of the Environment Agency. Here: http://www.sniffer.org.uk/files/8313/4183/8007/LQ09_Project_Summary.pdf the same thing is mentioned ("Next Steps This project feeds into the next phase of the UK-SIC remit, which involves the designing of a UK Soil Monitoring Scheme.") (2007) Finally I find a soil map, which is pretty interesting: United Kingdom Soil Observatory But crowdsourced? The pH measurements appear meaningless.

Assuming the damage to the trunk hasn't sprung suddenly upon this tree since it was cut back, can anyone tell me why it was left in place like this?

Urgh. Not being selective with these photos, these are in order as I went through the trees. Obviously these are all from the same location, but by and large this is the same as I've seen on chestnuts everywhere else

And more and more and

And here are some more:

Here are photos of chestnuts in Portchester. I have included a photo of them in their general setting - I feel this is important because many trees seem to look just fine from a distance but the trunks and bark tell a different story.

I don't know anything whatsoever about pittosporaceae, I'm afraid, I just thought I'd look them up and found the same disease symptoms. The other tree was far worse, to be fair.