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| If this is the wrong place to post this, let me know! My Chinkapin Oak is probably approaching 200 years of age. It looks fantastic, but I'm beginning to see small (under 2") limbs dying. And now I've got some sort of fungus that was growing on the trunk near the ground. I broke off two pieces last month that were probably about 8" across. They were dry and woody. Very dark in color. I didn't find a photo online that matched these. Is this a condition that can be effectively treated? If so, can it be done in winter in central Indiana or is there a particular time of year that's best for treatment? Thanks! |
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| A few pictures from you would sure help us to know more about your situation. If you have a picture of the tree's canopy when fully leafed out and a picture or two of the trunk where you see the fungus, that might tell us quite a bit. From your description, it sounds like your tree may be well into a decline and there's probably not much you could do at this point. If the tree endangers any structures or people, if it fell, I'd recommend getting it checked out by an ISA-certified arborist soon. It could be further gone than you realize. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, Dec 23, 12 at 9:15
| google: BEAR BREAD MUSHROOMS ... flip to IMAGES ... yeah .. believe it or not.. lol .. find the latin.. and expand the search under such ... they have different looks over the growing season ... IMHO.. there is nothing you can do on grandpa ... but the upside is.. it might take another 50 to 100 years to die ... ken |
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Sun, Dec 23, 12 at 13:28
| Yep. If this is a "shelf fungus" of some sort, there are no treatments. And they do indicate at least some degree of inner decay. But like Ken says, it by no means indicates that total failure is imminent. Per Brandon's recommendation to obtain the expertise of a well-qualified arborist, I second that. They may have some means of at least making a good estimate of the degree of inner decay present. That's about all you've got. But I would not go into panic mode if I were in your place. I know of many big oaks in some of our parks which yearly display big fruiting bodies of such fungi. They've been doing this for years and are still growing and putting on more wood each growing season. But getting it looked at would, if nothing else, aid in your peace of mind. +oM |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, Dec 23, 12 at 14:26
| the only fact you left out.. is whether this thing is overhanging your bedroom in a hurricane zone.. and it has the potential to kill you in your sleep [how's that for drama .... lol ] or whether it is out in the back 40 ... if in any way.. this thing threatens you or anyone.. hire a professional ... otherwise.. IMHO.. its not worth the money .... go zen.. and understand this is natures way ... frankly anything you can dream up to 'do' .. is contrary to mother nature ... do NOT be tempted to 'do' something.. for the sake of doing something ... you will make it worse ... good luck ken
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Sun, Dec 23, 12 at 21:22
| There are fungicide treatments available for foliar fungal diseases, There are injectable fungicides for the treatment of certain vascular wilts. But there are just no options for decay fungi, leastways, none that I'm aware of. +oM |
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- Posted by restorephoto 5 (central Indiana) (My Page) on Tue, Dec 25, 12 at 16:18
| Thanks for all the comments! I've posted photos of this tree here at GW in the past year or two�before I knew there were any problems. The tree still looks very healthy and the appearance of the fungus on the trunk is a very recent phenomenon. It sure looks like a shelf fungus of some sort. I'll find a qualified arborist and get his/her opinion since the tree is only about 40 feet from the house. Fortunately, it's north of the house and storms with high winds seldom come from the north when it's in leaf. Maybe we won't need to worry about it for at least a few years. We've lost too many mature trees in this area already due to aging trees like this being lost and due to the power company's upgrading power lines and implementing new trimming policies a few years ago. This was a fairly heavily wooded area 30 years ago. Less so today. Most people aren't interested in replacing these old giants. The character of the neighborhood is changing. |
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| If only you could see how much good wood there still is. We had to cut down a Tulip tree (Liriodendron) because of rott. But after the big chop, it had many years worth of good wood yet :(. Well, anyway I've replaced it with an oak :). |
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