Hi hopefully someone can give me some advice, I have decent sizes hole in tree it appears tree has been trying to roll around with increase in trunk size, we haven’t lived here long so I got up there and dug any mushy material out and used a hair dryer to dry out, due to rain on the way and getting dark hurried stuck my phone in hole to pics and sprayed foam in to seal, wish I would of looked at pics before foaming with rain so close was in a hurry while dried out . There white stuff in top view should I dig foam out to disenfect with bleach mix. Tree probably is a gonner I hope not but looks fatal to me idk??? Is it worth digging foam out? Maybe white stuff in pic is bacteria? Don’t know if being sealed in will matter.... thanks for any help I can’t tell what kind of tree is it anyone know.
Big hole in tree
- Thread starter Jcarp50
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Hard to say with certainty, but it looks like a hackberry--are you in the midwest? That "roll" you see is the tree working to encapsulate the injury. Can't see what's going on above, but the tree will probably be fine without you fiddling with it.
Bark looks like hackberry
I would not say that tree is a goner at all. I know there are various opinions even more so now among my fellow aborists with regard to wound treatment/wound care for trees but I am still of the old guard (which was the new guard) to leave it alone. The foam, while seeming to protect the hole, will delay compartmentalization and hold in dampness which will encourage fungal growth.
That callus wood that is growing around the hole is very strong. Much stronger than straight grained wood so not much od a concern there.
If the foam were to be removed and the hole to fill up with water it would actually delay fungal growth as fungus does not growth in an anerobic environment.
That callus wood that is growing around the hole is very strong. Much stronger than straight grained wood so not much od a concern there.
If the foam were to be removed and the hole to fill up with water it would actually delay fungal growth as fungus does not growth in an anerobic environment.
jomoco
Tree Freak
Take some of that white fungus between your fingers n crush it. If it puts off a pungent odor?
Put some in a bag and take it to your nearest plant pathology lab to confirm that it's Armillaria.
Then cut it down.
If it ain't Armillaria?
No worries!
One suspect is root rot. Two common root pathogens, Ganoderma and Armillaria, may infect hackberry. I would expect to see these diseases on stressed trees, so look for root or trunk injury, evidence of a grade change or construction nearby, or some change since symptoms appeared. A mature, healthy hackberry is not going to be seriously injured by cold snaps, drought stress, or lack of fertilizer. Look for major site changes. Report on Plant Disease RPD no. 641, �Decline and Dieback of Trees and Shrubs,� may present some possible causes of stress.
Jomoco
Put some in a bag and take it to your nearest plant pathology lab to confirm that it's Armillaria.
Then cut it down.
If it ain't Armillaria?
No worries!
One suspect is root rot. Two common root pathogens, Ganoderma and Armillaria, may infect hackberry. I would expect to see these diseases on stressed trees, so look for root or trunk injury, evidence of a grade change or construction nearby, or some change since symptoms appeared. A mature, healthy hackberry is not going to be seriously injured by cold snaps, drought stress, or lack of fertilizer. Look for major site changes. Report on Plant Disease RPD no. 641, �Decline and Dieback of Trees and Shrubs,� may present some possible causes of stress.
Jomoco
Jason Douglas
ArboristSite Guru
Can't ID the fungus or fungi at work but the wood degredation looks more like a brown rot rather than a white. One pic looks like a crust type fungus, perhaps in xylariaceae family. Cant tell you how aggressive it will be without a proper ID though.
Not sure about the last picture...foam stuff or fruiting bodies?
Not ganoderma or armillaria
Not sure about the last picture...foam stuff or fruiting bodies?
Not ganoderma or armillaria
The last pic was the next day after filling with spray foam the other white stuff was a picture inside the hole pointing up.
I am in the Midwest do you think I should cut the foam out
It sure seems like the hole may be getting deeper by being damp almost like mud I don’t thought the foam may prevent it by being a bit dryer and maybe would roll all the way over I was planning to trim foam right behind the area trying to roll over, so you think I should take it all out
There has been nearby construction my house is new and appears the bottom may of been damaged during excavation.
Really appreciate all the helpful knowledge, I will try to post more pictures tomorrow but it does appear the trunk was damaged maybe during excavation. I am happy to hear I probably don’t need to take the tree down my wife loves having tall trees, I just get concerned with the idea of it breaking. Still undecided if I should pull all of the foam out?
My preference is to not treat holes with anything. That being said, if your going to fill a hole, foam would be your best choice. In the end it's probably not doing much. I think it would be best that if you are going to leave it, it should be flush or just below the opening.
jomoco
Tree Freak
You must have a county ag dept near you with a plant pathology lab.
Ganoderma and Armillaria are death sentences around these parts.
Though there are BCMA master arborist's who'll string yu along until either the tree falls over, or yu run outta money!
Good luck with your tree Jcarp.
Jomoco
Ganoderma and Armillaria are death sentences around these parts.
Though there are BCMA master arborist's who'll string yu along until either the tree falls over, or yu run outta money!
Good luck with your tree Jcarp.
Jomoco
Armillaria usually doesn't show up 10' up a tree without other noticeable symptoms at the base of the tree and within the canopy.
usually...
The decay is not a health issue, but it is a structural issue. The foam doesn't matter as long as there wasn't any new damage to the living tissue or in the process of cleaning it out you went past the compartmentalization layers. Compartmentalization took place when it got wounded. The foam gives the callus tissue something to close over rather than rolling back into the cavity.
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