I got one pic to open. The other was a no-go.

Does look like possible Armillaria, but again, not quite enough to go on thus far.

+oM

hey ...

nice to hear from someone who already has an expert diagnosis of the trees problem ... that being interior rotting ...

it doesnt matter what it is.. there is nothing you can do about the root problem[ thats a pun.. lol] ... which is interior rotting wood ...

getting rid of this particular mushroom is not going to solve.. or slow .... anything...

fungi.. are nature decomposter .. and your tree is.. basically .... upright unfinished compost at this time ...

wasting money on a fungicide.. to kill this mushroom will solve only one problems.. taking money from your wallet ...

the only thing that will help this situation.. [note i dint say the tree].. is to get rid of it ... or insist the city do so.. if its in the easement ... it is.. at this point.. a hazard ... hence is my help and advice ...

ken

ps: i expect others will give you the ID... if not.. i wouldnt doubt that there is a mushroom forum ....

It isn't honey fungus. Honey fungus is not a bracket fungus. The fruiting bodies appear on the ground as yellowish toadstools. A quick Google will show you that. The Mycelium grows as black strands under the bark. Another common name is bootlace fungus.

Are you sure the tree is a poplar? The buds on the branches in the foreground are Aesculus hippocastanum, Horse Chestnut.

Be prepared for a lot of comments from US posters about the ivy too. But don't worry about that. It's fine in our ecosystem.

Here is a link that might be useful: Armilleria

Further to what the others have said - I've no idea what an easement is but I would ask your council arboricultural officer if they would take a look. A good start would be to check your local council's website under trees and see what the advice is. A tree that big in an urban environment may well have preservation order on it so if it needs felling you might need a license. I fear it will need to come down given the possibility of it taking a car or even a person out without warning.

In my part of the woods loggers call them 'Conks' and signify the interior of the tree is decaying.
The tree should be removed before it falls and causes damage.
Mike

I've no idea what an easement is but I would ask your council arboricultural officer

==>>> often.. the land.. between the sidewalk.. and the street .. though mowed and cared for by the home owner.. is actually CITY PROPERTY ... as such.. you may have limited rights on removal ...

and better yet ... as this situation seems to suggest ... since the OP seems to suggest someone else paid for the topping ... that a rotting tree might be the cities responsibility ... once put on notice ... [i understand i am reading a lot in between the lines]

if you can get the city to get rid of a rotting tree.. then you save a lot of money ...

but often.. the city might not know about such.. until you advise them.. of such

all that said.. i have no direct knowledge of british land laws ....

ken

ps: below where you type... is a box titled: Optional Link URL:

if you put your pic link there.. on preview.. it will turn into a clickable link ....

and if you can find the HTML code .. and paste it where you type.. the pic ought to pop up in your post ... if you see it on preview.. we will see it ...

Hey guys,

Yes it is a black poplar tree. The smaller branch you see is just another (disease) horse chestnut tree that is growing alongside it. Both of the trees are on the neighbours land and she was told about the tree's rotting from the inside a few years ago but seemingly just wants to wait until they fall down.... which is incredibly dangerous given that kids play out in the street and the tree is HUGE (its much bigger in real life than on the photo).

Glad it's not honey fungus though given that that is what brought the other one down in our backgarden.

A black poplar is really not a tree you want in a situation like that. Even when they are not rotting they are notorious for dropping limbs.

I really would recommend talking to the council arboricultural officer as a first step.

If there's a chance that the tree would damage something on your property when it fell, I'd send her a registered letter ASAP. It needs to tell her that you have noticed the problem, are concerned about the situation, and will hold her liable (because she's been notified) if something happens. Your homeowner's insurance agent could probably help you with the letter if you'd like. Be sure to keep a copy of the letter and the notice of her receiving the letter. Usually, such letters result in quick action by the other party, IME.

If the tree is on the rite-of-way, your local government might take care of the situation if you contacted them. That can vary from place to place though. In cases where the local government does take responsibility for such things and where they delay action, a letter similar to the above recommendation can often result in action.

Whether or not it's honey fungus is neither here nor there. The tree is rotting. In the middle of a wood to decay naturally I'd leave it in peace and support a million organisms as it does so, but not where it is. I don't know where you live but the attached is pretty standard council advice.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dangerous trees

Its a Ganoderma - a white rot decay fungus that will indicate a potentially hazardous tree. It is not honey fungus (Armillaria).

If it is indeed Ganoderma, would it be safe to eat as a medicinal mushroom? How can you tell? Are all Ganoderma species edible & medicinal, like Reishi?

"Usually known as Reishi or Ling zhi, Ganoderma Lucidum is one of the highest ranked medicines in Chinese medicine and has extended to usage in Japanese and Korean medicine as well as having some prevalence in the West.

Its mechanisms are diverse, but are usually localized around moderating the immune system (reducing its activity when overstimulated, increasing its effects when deficient) and proliferating the immune system at the same time, increasing the amount of active cells and thus the potential for their effects.

Ganoderma also possesses anti-oxidative effects, and can act on a few other systems such as aldose reductase (which can help with diabetic symptoms) and 5-alpha redutase (which can help with prostate cancer risk). Due to these effects paired with the modulation of the immune system, Ganoderma Lucidum shows promise in being therapeutic for insulin resistance, prostate cancer risk, and a variety of conditions correlated with metabolic syndrome.

It is also well known and touted for its anti-cancer effects, which are secondary to both potentiating the immune system (usually through activation of natural killer cells, and increasing tumor necrosis factor-alpha) and also some other mechanisms that allow Ganoderma to be synergistic within itself in reducing tumor growth and reducing the chance of metastasis."

Here is a link that might be useful: Mushroom of Immortality

Here's the op's photos