Fungus ID

[Tree Machine]

I had that feeling, too, Mario. Death of a vertical strip up the trunk can be the dying of the roots causing that, or it can be that the dying of the roots caused the death of the vertical strip. Could be livestock chewed through bark and cambium, or quite possibly a girdling root. Mebbe a minor lightning strike.


Either way, this is the result of a process that started many years ago. Roots don't rot overnight, nor does that much cambium form in short time. If Dr Dendro were to put an estimate on it he might reply, "Hand me that sharp hatchet" would walk over to the downed tree and with two quick ninja swipes, pop out a perfect wedge.

"Here's a litle secret" Dendro says to, who was dendro talking to? Oh, BayouTree, sez, "Bayou, cambium forms annual rings, more like annual lines. You count the lines and add 1 for the year the damage happened when very little grew. One , two, three. Four years ago, the woundwood tells me, something happened here."

A soil analysis could reveal more clues as to the death of that side of the tree, but that is definitely not what this thread is about.

I'm sure most would go, "Root rot." and list that as the cause for failure. We know what's causing the decay, but what caused the tissue to die in the first place?

 

[CA arborista]

Thanx, treeseer, that's what I was afraid of. At one site, we removed the Robinia at the property owner's request. Another site is a yard around a home with both ornamentals and indigenous species that were neglected by a renter. The last is a grove of nut trees that have been mutilated by a fly-by-night "tree service." It breaks my heart. I'll have to give them the bad news and hope for the best.

 

[CA arborista]

Found It!

I had some time to do some on-line research and I was able to ID my mystery fungus - UC Davis had a web site description complete with photo. The fungus is "Schizophyllum commune" or "common split gill." More on-line research lead me to articles (some you have to purchase) on the effects of copper on the hyphae of decay fungi. I think I'll give it a try, to control spread if nothing else. Does anyone know anymore about this?

Thanx to everyone for your comments.

 

[Tree Machine]

The thing to know about fungus is that it doesn't reside on the surface of the wood. The fruiting bodies do, but the actual working body of the fungus penetrates well into the wood, so a topical surface application I don't think will be effective, though I won't discourage you from trying.

You may want to do a little research on the toxicity of copper to trees.

Schizopyllum is very common, just about everywhere, often the first on the scene when wounding occurs. It is a saprophyte, but can affect other localized living tissue of the tree if it is stressed or in decline, making it an opportunistic parasite, but not a truly parasitic fungus. Parasitic fungi are thankfully rare within the family of the decay fungi.

 

[CA arborista]

Copper compounds

Thank you, again, Tree Machine -

I did do more research. I found a study from Lithuania on "Schizophyllum commune" that had infested Little Leaf and Broad Leaf Linden and Norway Maples in a specific population. The bar graph included in the study emphasized the nature of this fungus, described as "saproparisitic" in other articles. (The explanation that you gave.)

I also found that copper comes in both copper sulfate, used in "burgundy" and "bordeaux" mixtures used in vineyards commercially to control mold (fungus) spread, (this is very toxic to humans and all precautions were emphasised) and as copper ammonium in a commercial "over-the-counter" fungicide.

I also realize that the hyphae of the fungi reside in the cambium tissue, I would imagine very much like the roots of ivy that have killed a tree parasitically, as an illustration. This is why I asked about using a surfactant. Copper ammonium is sold at the local horticulture materials seller and manufactured by a company that also distributes a surfactant manufactured by a different company. This particular product is advertised as safe for fruit and nut trees.

What do you Know?

Thanx again.

 

[Tree Machine]

the study emphasized the nature of this fungus, described as "saproparisitic" in other articles. (The explanation that you gave.)

Thank you for bringing that word forward.

I also found that copper comes in both copper sulfate, used in "burgundy" and "bordeaux" mixtures used in vineyards commercially to control mold (fungus) spread, (this is very toxic to humans and all precautions were emphasised) and as copper ammonium in a commercial "over-the-counter" fungicide.

Fungus comes in two flavors; The fungi imperfecti and the fungi perfecti. Fungi imperfecti are things like rusts, smuts, yeasts, molds and mildew. These grow on the surface of leaves and never really form a 'fruiting body', though they do, only it's a microscopic ordeal. I think this is what the copper ammonium sulfate is for.

The fungi perfecti are generally saprophytes (live on dead and decaying matter). They form visible fruit bodies that release spores. But it is not the visible mushrooms that are the problem, the're just a visual indicator, a clue, that tells us that fungus has invaded. The fungus has to go through it's full life cycle, and the formation of the fruiting bodies and the release of the spores are the final steps in the cycle. The first is the spore.

When a tree is wounded, a spore that happened to land there germinates, the result of that germination are tiny, white filaments. They grow and branch, the leading tips oozing out powerful enzymes and as the wood is 'digested', energy is taken into the fungal body and it grows. When the network has grown throughout the wood and reached a mature size, the fungal network puts forth fruiting bodies, known commonly to us as mushrooms.

I also realize that the hyphae of the fungi reside in the cambium tissue

Not true. The cambial layer is really thin, there's not a lot of food value there, though some. The fungus goes for the sapwood and the heartwood, builds itself up with it's ever-branching filament body, collectively know as mycelium. The mycelial network feeds on into the exposed wood. WHen it gets to a certain mass, it has the ability to send forth fruiting bodies. Once the mushrooms appear, that tells us that the mycelial network has colonized the zone.

After fruiting and sporulating, mushrooms generally die, though the mycelial body that put them forth continues to digest wood and make itself bigger inside the wood. And the cycle continues.

Welcome to soils 101.

 

[Boa07]

Very succinctly put TM, CA bordeaux mixture will have no significant impact on your fungi since it is not one of the rusts, smuts, yeasts, molds and mildew Tm mentions. I would argue that your best course of action is to focus your efforts on improving the general health of your tree(s) to enhance their own internal defensive actions. You could if you have the finance and the motivation invest in antagonistic fungi competitors and apply these along with a specifically selected compost tea for the particular tree and its soil food web.

But as TM has alluded to, by the time we see the fruiting bodies it is often a little late to do more than prolong the final stages of the troubled relationship between pathogenic fungi and tree.

 

[Tree Machine]

... rusts, smuts, yeasts, molds and mildew. Very succinctly put TM, CA bordeaux mixture will have no significant impact on your fungi

That treatment is for surface applications. Our decay fungi are deep drillers.

I would argue that your best course of action is to focus your efforts on improving the general health of your tree(s) to enhance their own internal defensive actions.

I would argue alongside Boa. Optimize tree condition.

the time we see the fruiting bodies it is often a little late to do more than prolong the final stages of the troubled relationship between pathogenic fungi and tree.

Actually, pathogenic means disease-causing. Fungus rarely causes a disease, rather it is there as the primary decomposer when it comes to breaking down wood. If you see a dead limb on a walnut and after a rain you see the whole thing is covered in Auricularia polytrica, you can't assume the tree is infested with fungus. We can accurately say, the limb is colonized with fungus. This is a completely normal part of nature and it's been going on for millions, possibly billions of years. Fungal Biology 101.

People often peg fungus as the bad guy, but it's just doing what it does; seeking out dead wood, inhabiting it, and eating it. If we better understand what fungus fundamentally does, and why, better assessments can be made.

Below is a pic of mycelium how the hyphae (individual strands) branch out in different directions. Look close you can see the site where the spore germinated.

 

[Boa07]

You're right TM pathogenic was a poor choice of adjective...desperation of a tired and emotional mind!!

I really have a bit of a passion for fungi, and don't regard tem as any sort of enemy at all. In fact there are a growing number of very skilled Arborists, mostly in UK who are beginning to change the way we view trees, particularly Veteran trees, describing and working on such trees with very high regard for the fungi that colonise them. Sometimes these fungi are seen as the reason for retaining such veterans, so rare are they.

I personally feel that this the most realistic way to percieve all trees; as organisms deeply and complicately connected to many trophic levels in the ecosystem they are part of. By gaining an understanding of that complexity we can really begin to apply PHC in its most effective sense.

 

[CA arborista]

Thank you for the collective feed-back.

Yes, I am aware of the physiology of fungi and their life-cycle. The extended explanation about the use of available ammonia fungicides is consistent with what I have read.

We have been supporting these trees, first, with organic fertilizer, and just this past month with a commercial grade fertilizer that delivers immediate and then sustained (slow release) 14-14-14 with micro nutrients.

I appreciate the "Zennist" arboricultural view of trees and the varied life forms that benefit from them, although I don't agree with the concept to the point of subjugating the interests of higher life forms to those of lower life forms. (Does this make sense?)

None-the-less, it's been a great discussion and I appreciate the knowledge shared. Thanx, again.

 

[Tree Machine]

Thank you for the collective feed-back.

I appreciate the "Zennist" arboricultural view of trees and the varied life forms that benefit from them, although I don't agree with the concept to the point of subjugating the interests of higher life forms to those of lower life forms. (Does this make sense?)

I get that you appreciate the Zennist arboricultural view, but the next part is sorta confusing..... you don't agree with the symbiotic biological relationships between different life forms in the codependent interactions of life amongst the species? Like a network, a web, a successive cascade of microbial players, each giving and receiving in a mutualistically beneficial relationship that promotes this thing called....LIFE!

Biology is the most important part, CA. I'm not sure where Zen views came in at all.

 

[Boa07]

CA, I don't mind being labled as Zen like, I'm not though as anyone who's met me would attest to.

I didn't write those remarks about the relationship between tree and fungi to be smart or new age it happens to be what is going on in every single tree we work on whether in Oz or US, whether the tree is alive or dead or somewhere inbetween.
What Arborists who are lucky enough to work on veterans have been able to learn is valuable to us all, recognising that fungi are present in wood tissues more often than not, and the role they are able to play is determined as much by the state of the tree as the particular label we apply to the fungal species.

We (as in all of us not you CA) can keep pumping chems onto and into the trees and soil and think we doing the best we can, but for me it flies in the face of what we have learnt in the last 20yrs.

Couldn't agree more with TM

a network, a web, a successive cascade of microbial players, each giving and receiving in a mutualistically beneficial relationship that promotes this thing called....LIFE!

 

[Tree Machine]

I didn't write those remarks about the relationship between tree and fungi to be smart or new age it happens to be what is going on in every single tree we work on whether in Oz or US, whether the tree is alive or dead or somewhere inbetween.

That is pure, man, that was poetic.

 

[CA arborista]

Hello, all of you, sans me -

Forgive me for not being more specific in my reference to "higher life forms." I was referring to the property owner. This man planted the trees for his children who grew-up and moved away, his wife died of cancer, and some guy posing as a "tree service" killed eight Pistachio trees and mutilated the remaining Pistachio, Almond, and Walnut trees. As a small business owner and arborist I have a responsibility to both the property owner to explore any possible way that I can help him with the restoration of his nut tree grove while respecting the natural reality of the trees and all other organisms.

That's why I came to you guys for help, respecting your experience and knowledge. The reference to Zen wasn't meant as a slam but only a reference - the difference between the holistic and mystical view of the universe and the 'man against nature' (typically in Western thought) approach to living things. As you can tell, I'm into philosophy and religion as well as trees.

I wish you all the best.

 

[Boa07]

(as in all of us not you CA)

Should have read

as in all of us not just you CA

ah well....:computer2:

 

[CA arborista]

Hey, Boa07 -

Thank you for the corrected typo. You made my day.

Here's to the beneficient nature of the Universe (trees included)!