Oak tree with fungus

[highlander]

need some advice:
I have an enormous, beautiful oak tree in my backyard about 20 ft from my house. It appears healthy with green healthy vegatation on each branch extending up the entire tree. However I noticed 3 "mushrooming" funguses at the base on the roots (one was 2 feet in diameter). I cleared them off & had an arborist look at the tree. He claimed that the tree needs to come down b/c he is worried that the fungus has weakened the root system and the tree could come down on my house or my neighbors causing a significant amount of damage.
A tree service estimated removal including stump = $6600.
I am going to get a second opinion from another arborist.
My questions are:
- is there anyway to definitively tell if the base / roots are decaying?
- can the tree be salvaged?
-what would others do? (also consider that my financial situation is not to the point where I can just dish out $6600)
- How long do you think this tree has before it is to the point of no return and becomes emergent that it be taken down (I know this is basically an impossible question but there has to be someone with knowledge of the natural history of trees with this type of disease)

thanks,
Highlander

 

[Sheshovel]

Yes this is a sure sign of OAK root rot fungus.Can you take a pic and post it?Cannot tell really unless you do.Some Oaks can live for many years with this problem.Is their any mounding up of the soil around large roots?Need a pic to see it before we can tell.How big is this tree?$6600.00 sounds like alot.I had one taken down that was huge and they had to use a crane to swing the pieces over the garage and they bucked it up for me too for $2000.00 that is here though and I wouldent pay for the stump to be removed...who cares?It was not hurting anything why remove it ....use it for a table.

 

[treeseer]

Many different fungi, of different pathogenicity (?). Better to spend what's needed to get the best diagnosis before contemplating removal or whatever. Call Dave Leonard in Lexington and post a pic here too.

 

[helpmytrees]

If there is fungi growing at the base, it is true that it's symptomatic of root or stem rot. A core drill through or into the lower stem (by an arborist)could establish how severe the decay is. As far as how long this tree may have before it could go...it could go anytime. The mere fact that a tree is standing poses a hazard, very minimal for healthy trees, but with age, decay and other factors, the hazard increases. This basal rot raises the hazard level exponentially. It just takes the right wind at the right time from the right direction.

Some readers of this post may note my response is different here than my response to a lady who posted a concern for an Ash a few weeks ago with some mushrooms in her yard. This sounds like a true basal rot...not a dead root.

This tree could stand for years to come, but I don't think you'll find an arborist who won't recommend removing it due to your and their liability.

Good luck!

 

[treeseer]

Strip those vines off and sound out those buttresses with a mallet or hammer.

Waht % of the circumference has mushrooms?

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I wouldn't be removing a tree like that without some solid proof there is a structural problem.
That mushroom could be growing up off an old wood chip or dead stick for all we can tell. The other problem is the root plate is so solid, it will be hard to clean the soil away to see what the problem is, and really, a big solid root plate like that is good because it's strong.
An air spade will be your best bet to get in there and examine the roots. Also, as mentioned, some sounding with a rubber mallet might help.
To me, drilling is a last resort.
How much fruiting has there been, and how many years?

 

[cunrya]

I don't have any feedback as far as your fungus problem but a possible solution if the tree actually does have to come down. Ever thought of calling some of the guys in your area that have portable sawmills? Can't tell for sure, but appears that there might be sufficient area for someone with experience to drop that oak? If so an individual with a mill might get rid of it for free or at a nominal cost. Six grand seems quite high.

 

[helpmytrees]

I agree with Mike.

After looking at the photo's, that root plate looks very solid.

I would recommend a couple of different opinions from arborists on site though.

 

[Sheshovel]

Have you or a previous owner changed the natural grade around this tree?I mean have you removed or added soil around it at all?Is your lawn on a sprinkler system?The downspout on the house needs to have a drainline on it to direct the rainwater away from the tree area.It's probably having a hard time competing with the grass for food.And the soil looks to be very compacted also.Why is it black down around the base?The one mushroom does not look to be a problem yet and the tree looks strong..but I would keep water and grass away and aerate light and shallow and mulch out to the
dripline.

 

[curdy]

It just takes the right wind at the right time from the right direction.

I'll second that!

We recently had a cold front come through that produced 45+mph gusts. Blew over the big one on the left that took the other one down with it. Both were healthy. However, due to having a wetter lot near a creek, the trees did have a more shallow root system. Glad the wind didn't blow towards the house.

 

[(WLL)]

need some advice:
I have an enormous, beautiful oak tree in my backyard about 20 ft from my house. It appears healthy with green healthy vegatation on each branch extending up the entire tree. However I noticed 3 "mushrooming" funguses at the base on the roots (one was 2 feet in diameter). I cleared them off & had an arborist look at the tree. He claimed that the tree needs to come down b/c he is worried that the fungus has weakened the root system and the tree could come down on my house or my neighbors causing a significant amount of damage.
A tree service estimated removal including stump = $6600.
I am going to get a second opinion from another arborist.
My questions are:
- is there anyway to definitively tell if the base / roots are decaying?
- can the tree be salvaged?
-what would others do? (also consider that my financial situation is not to the point where I can just dish out $6600)
- How long do you think this tree has before it is to the point of no return and becomes emergent that it be taken down (I know this is basically an impossible question but there has to be someone with knowledge of the natural history of trees with this type of disease)

thanks,
Highlander

Inonotus dryadeus (formerly Polyporus dryadeus)
This fungus can cause a root and butt rot particulary on oaks. trees may topple before any obvious symptoms are noted. Infected trees often have a branch dieback and fewer than normal leaves that are yellowed. Although the root rot begins well out on the root system, the fungus eventually reaches the butt of the tree whear it forms large ,tough,irregularly shaped grey to light-brown or dark-brown shelves at or just above the soil line. with age, these become very rough and dark brown to black. Cutting the shelf reveals a reddish-brown center The underside of the shelf is brown with with millions of tiny pores in which the spores are formed. A sure sign of severe damage to the tree is the presence of the fruiting structures. Infected trees should be removed immediately. Yuor tree is very suscepible to windthrow. This is a disease that creats a hazard.
6600 is crazy 1500-2000 is much more fair keep lookin 4 a better price.:greenchainsaw:

 

[treeseer]

A sure sign of severe damage to the tree is the presence of the fruiting structures.

a small conk is not a sign of severe damage, but those were big conks you had. Glad no serious damage.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I'll second that!

We recently had a cold front come through that produced 45+mph gusts. Blew over the big one on the left that took the other one down with it. Both were healthy. However, due to having a wetter lot near a creek, the trees did have a more shallow root system. Glad the wind didn't blow towards the house.

Your trees blew over because the trees were exposed to the full force of wind for the first time in their life. Do you think a 50 year old tree never saw 45 mile an hour winds?
Before you moved in and cut down all the other trees supporting them, they all worked together as a forest, not lone plants.
I noticed none of the other trees, located back in the woods, "blew over", only those on the edge of the construction. Had you called in a qualified arborist, things would likely be different.

 

[(WLL)]

a small conk is not a sign of severe damage, but those were big conks you had. Glad no serious damage.

u can learn more on these conks at penn-state.com/Gary W. Moorman, Penn State Professor of Plant [email protected] or from The penn-del chapter of Arborists. some books you might want 2 read are Mushrooms of north america by E.P dutton and Forest pathology by J.S Boyce:monkey:

 

[treeseer]

u can learn more on these conks at penn-state.com/Gary W. Moorman, Penn State Professor of Plant [email protected] or from The penn-del chapter of Arborists. some books you might want 2 read are Mushrooms of north america by E.P dutton and Forest pathology by J.S Boyce:monkey:

Thanks for the leads on the books. Boyce's was last updated aobut 40 years ago I think, but still somewhat useful. I wish there was a current text that focused on wood decay fungi.

i've read some of Moorman's bulletins on decay. They were focused on the fungus instead of the tree, and very tilted toward early removal, like the advice given at ncsu's pathology extension. Those people speak for the state, which does not want to get sued so they are hypercareful re liability. A commercial arborist is more free to manage the tree with something other than a basal cut. Sinclair's Disease book and Shigo and Luley and Schwarze's books also document compartmentalization of decay, and call for a more conservative approach.

More certainty is certainly needed today. Many authorities tell tree managers that infections by Armillaria, Ganoderma, Inonotus and other fungi are considered sufficient cause for immediate removal of the tree for fear of failure. However, based on over ten years of research, Schwarze tells us “…the mere occurrence of a fungus fruit body on a tree does not indicate the extent of the decay…Degradation processes, host differences and environmental conditions are too diverse…decays often affect only a small amount of wood in the tree, so that stability and safety are not impaired.”

Throughout Schwarze's book, we are reminded that the tree’s vitality and its energy reserves are the most important factors in making a prognosis. Since fungal spores are present throughout the air, soil and water that surrounds the tree, making trees stronger and more resistant to any attack is the arborist’s first and constant task. If fungus gets a foothold in a tree, following the discoveries within Fungal Strategies of Wood Decay in Trees can lead to a program for managing the tree to resist decay and retain and increase its value.

 

[elmnut]

Look for Wood Decay Fungi, Christopher J. Luley, Ph.D. Urban Forestry LLC Great book on fungi.

 

[Ekka]

I wonder if this home-owner is still reading this thread?

If you are then can you post some pics of the canopy, we can then see the big picture.

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned reduction pruning.

We can then see ht and wt. Many large trees rely on their weight as well as roots as anchorage.

Also, a specific ID on that fungus could mean a soil treatment program that keeps it at bay whilst allowing the tree some extra vitality to fight the bugger. I did notice lawn right up to the tree and the effected areas coincide with where buttresses may have been mowed or whipper snipped. A mulch ring would be a good start.

Seems like a grand old tree, it's not hanging over a fence is it? Just kidding.

 

[treeseer]

I wonder if this home-owner is still reading this thread?

If you are then can you post some pics of the canopy, we can then see the big picture.

Psst, Eric, speaking of the big picture...the canopy is now wood chips. the tree fell over.:yoyo:

 

[(WLL)]

Inonotus dryadeus (formerly Polyporus dryadeus)
This fungus can cause a root and butt rot particulary on oaks. trees may topple before any obvious symptoms are noted. Infected trees often have a branch dieback and fewer than normal leaves that are yellowed. Although the root rot begins well out on the root system, the fungus eventually reaches the butt of the tree whear it forms large ,tough,irregularly shaped grey to light-brown or dark-brown shelves at or just above the soil line. with age, these become very rough and dark brown to black. Cutting the shelf reveals a reddish-brown center The underside of the shelf is brown with with millions of tiny pores in which the spores are formed. A sure sign of severe damage to the tree is the presence of the fruiting structures. Infected trees should be removed immediately. Yuor tree is very suscepible to windthrow. This is a disease that creats a hazard.
6600 is crazy 1500-2000 is much more fair keep lookin 4 a better price.:greenchainsaw:

 

[NEK VT]

wow

I am no pro.. But that tree looks pretty solid. and what a beauty... I tell you you won't get one back like that in that spot in your lifetime. Take that into consideration befor considering removal.