Managing Horse Chestnuts with Bleeding canker

Is it possible and financially viable?

Eventually if it does kill the tree, would it then be viable to leave a stump of sorts as a habitat area?

I ask as a local council near me has felled a veteran HC due to bleeding canker, apparently thousands have been spent trying to save it but i've been told it HAD to go?

They don't do deadwood in wigan don't you know:thumbdown:

The Old Tree is Going

Photo-a-Day :: wiganworld

"Tree experts work to save our conkers

With its cascading flowers and rich brown nuts, the horse chestnut has to be one of the best-loved trees in our towns and countryside. But the mighty chestnut is under threat from a disease that could turn out to be every bit as deadly as Dutch Elm disease in the 1970s.Now a 200 year old specimen near Wigan town centre could hold the key to saving many other much-loved trees across the borough. 'Bleeding chestnut canker' was first recorded in the UK in the 1970s but has become increasingly common over the past four or five years. Some reports have even speculated it could spell the end of the familiar autumn tradition of playing conkers. Caused by a virus in the soil, the main symptoms are cracks in the bark which ooze drops of gummy liquid. Other symptoms include root decay and leaf drop leading eventually to the death of the tree. The council's tree officers are working with specialists to try and save the ancient horse chestnut at the corner of St Clements Road and Wigan Lane that has been showing symptoms of bleeding canker. The three year treatment involves injections of fertilizers into the surrounding soil and a liquid drench applied to the trunk. Tree preservation officer ********** says: "If it's successful we will look into the possibility of treating other prominent chestnuts throughout the borough. The only problem is that we cannot treat all of them like this. "In many instances they are located in footpaths and the damage to the trees is too advanced so the treatment won't work."

Anyone heard of this? the treatment that is...

Did it have to go on safety grounds? It looks like a small limb was shed in the middle of the crown from the 'photo-a-day' link photograph. The tree looks healthy to me, suggesting removal is a bit too haste.

I've seen h/c trees near me that have been earmarked for removal with "bleeding" noted on them. Only to see that post removal the felled cross sections were fine and without decay. Not surprising, after all the bleeding is a result of an infection of the vascular phloem.

If I were managing this tree I would leave it be for the next few years to see if the canker developed.

me too, but unfortunately it wasn't up to me to keep

i'm just interested to know the reasoning behind the fell and if its possible to manage HC's with BC

Anyone heard of this? the treatment that is...

I've seen Bartletts use similar methods to treat HCBC trees. Airspade to treat soil compaction, adding soil nutrients and ensuring sufficient irrigation. Good ideas and ones that may help an infected tree fight infection.

i'm just interested to know the reasoning behind the fell

You would need to ask the tree officer / person responsible for the fell decission I guess.

You can manage any tree with whatever method you deem appropriate and justifiable. Felling would remove you from any liability in the future but would not allow you to view the progression of the disease and inform future decisions.

and if its possible to manage HC's with BC

There is no sure fire way of treating an infected tree that I know of myself. No specific chemicals exist to treat HC from BC infection. Experts can try various holistic methods such as decompaction and adding nutrients. Using such techniques is an attempt to manage the BC and possibly cheaper than the £1000+ it would cost to Council to remove this tree (not including amenity value).

air spade to reduce compaction, allicin to reduce Cameraria damage, mulch to the dripline, phosphite incorporation. Scores of trees limited budget. Councils do not have the resources.

Although the size of the gap in the canopy looks fairly significant, there doesn't appear to be much in the way of canopy dieback and the foliar cover looks pretty good. Both these are symptoms of advanced canker.

I'd've thought a reasonable reduction would've sufficed.

Interestingly RobArb I'd replied to the thread on there as its in my area and I'd took down a dead cedar and a couple of conifers across the way from it. This particular tree had shed multiple branches over the past few years and with its position the council weren't keen to leave it any longer. The final branch that was shed was 10 to 12inches in diameter which would have been enough to cause serious damage to anyone walking underneath at the time. With high profile cases such as the one for the National trust safety becomes the biggest overriding factor. The Tree is opposite a school set back from the main road into Wigan on a bit of common land where people frequent in particular children. The tree was a fine example but had reached a point where other than fencing off round the tree, which as we know people don't pay attention to fences, the only other options are to heavily reduce, pollard or fell. With it being in a conservation area the council isn't fussed on heavy reductions or pollards so became fell and replant if I recall correcttly they have replanted with oak .

"Tree experts work to save our conkers

With its cascading flowers and rich brown nuts, the horse chestnut has to be one of the best-loved trees in our towns and countryside. But the mighty chestnut is under threat from a disease that could turn out to be every bit as deadly as Dutch Elm disease in the 1970s.Now a 200 year old specimen near Wigan town centre could hold the key to saving many other much-loved trees across the borough. 'Bleeding chestnut canker' was first recorded in the UK in the 1970s but has become increasingly common over the past four or five years. Some reports have even speculated it could spell the end of the familiar autumn tradition of playing conkers. Caused by a virus in the soil, the main symptoms are cracks in the bark which ooze drops of gummy liquid. Other symptoms include root decay and leaf drop leading eventually to the death of the tree. The council's tree officers are working with specialists to try and save the ancient horse chestnut at the corner of St Clements Road and Wigan Lane that has been showing symptoms of bleeding canker. The three year treatment involves injections of fertilizers into the surrounding soil and a liquid drench applied to the trunk. Tree preservation officer ********** says: "If it's successful we will look into the possibility of treating other prominent chestnuts throughout the borough. The only problem is that we cannot treat all of them like this. "In many instances they are located in footpaths and the damage to the trees is too advanced so the treatment won't work."

 

 

Anyone heard of this? the treatment that is...

I know who is selling the treatment, the chemical has some warnings, the company selling the service is BIG, and is using (fact) the chemical near watercourses, this is a NO NO with the product.