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Hazardous Trees

With this season's weather, we have seen lots of fallen trees. Why do they fall when in other years there have not been so many?

 
There are a number of situations that cause trees to fall. What we have seen as the ground became saturated with rain in the fall is that the diminished root system gives way and loses it's anchorage in the ground. Our droughts of 2007 and 2008 caused the lose of feeder roots. The vigorous growth we have had during 2009 has added a great deal of additional weight to the canopy of the trees. If circumstances change such as a great deal of rain which softens the soil and strong wind or an ice storm appears, then potentially we will have lots of storm damage.
 
If you have lived in this area for long in the early to mid fall, you will have noticed the mushrooms that appear at the base of many of our older trees, especially willow oaks. The most common mushroom is commonly called white root rot, although the fruiting body has a Cinnamon color which eventually turns black in the early winter. These mushrooms invade the root systems of trees and make entries through wounds that appear near concrete sidewalks and curbs. Lawn mowers also can damage a tree and cause an entry place for the mushroom spores. It usually takes several years for the mushroom to grow to such an extent that the tree is hazardous. I frequently have seen trees decline over a seven year period. Once the mushroom spreads so that the fruiting bodies appear over 50% of the diameter of the trunk, the tree must be removed or run the risk of its falling. Because it is inevitable that the tree will die or get blown over, then the proper course of action is to remove it soon after you discover the mushrooms.
 
One would think that an ice storm would be the most dangerous time for having trees fall, but that is not true. Ice storms are rare, and the time the trees are most vulnerable is in the early spring just after the leaves have come out. The reason for this increased risk is that the ground is moist, there is a greater likelihood of high winds and, most important, the leaf canopy is large with a heavy succulent leaves. 
 
If you suspect that you have any of the problems mentioned above, you should consult a qualified arborist who has the experience and skill to diagnose your problem and make an educated decision. In the arboricultural profession, the first person to contact would be a Consulting Arborist and the second person would be a Certified Arborist.

Growth of a Root Rotting Mushroom

October 2002

(At the bottom of this page are some updates from 2003)

For years I have been observing and wondering about the cinnamon-brown mushrooms (really basidiocarps) that grow at the base of our willow oaks. During that time it was identified as "white root rot" which is not a very scientific way to describe it. From the standpoint of one in the tree business, I knew that when I saw the fruiting body or mushroom that there would be extensive root decay below ground and out of sight. When asked about the damage done, I often used the analogy of the newly planted apple tree that requires four or five years before it has fruit, and by that time the apple tree has an extensive canopy.

This year, 2002, with the recent rains and the previous severe four-year drought, for some reason of nature, we have seem numerous incidents of root rot. In some cases, the mushrooms have been entirely around the base of the tree; in some it just appears to be starting.

In my own back yard for the first time I noticed a small basidiocarp (reproductive body) at the base of one of our willow oaks. I have taken a series of photos of it as it grew in size. The tree in question is a willow oak about 80 feet high with a circumference of 150 inches. ( We removed this tree in April of 2007)

Here are a series of pictures. Click on the thumb-nail and see the larger photo. I have observed both the Inonotus dryadeus and the Ganoderma lucidum frequently here in Charlotte.

The Inonotus dryadeus appears to be the most common on our willow oaks and like other similar decay fungi enters the tree through wounds. Once you see the fruiting body there is not much you can do. The presence of a single conk or mushroom does not mean that the tree needs to be removed, but as the mushroom appears more often around the trunk then you need to consider removal soon. If the mushroom is visible all the way around the tree than it definitely is a hazard tree and should be removed immediately. As a note, I have seen trees that look healthy some seven years after first seeing the basidiocarp. I know of one water oak (Quercus negra) that is still alive some 20 years after I first saw mushrooms on it. Since we have had such an unusual bloom of mushrooms this year, I paid a visit to the water oak and it was still very much alive and I saw no evidence of the mushroom, but the trunk was knurly. I have some photos of this water oak if someone wishes to see them.

Photos from NCSU web site

Photos above are from NCSU web site.

October 13, 2003

Mushrooms are late this year. Here are some local photos taken today.

December 22, 2003

December has been pretty normal. Fortunately, we have not had a severe ice storm as we did last December 5th. There is still a lot of evidence of storm damage in many trees from that storm. I also think that our trees are under a tremendous amount of stress. Prior to five years ago, we rarely saw the large mushrooms at the base of the willow oaks. Now they are very common, and it would be interesting to make a survey of willow oaks impacted by streets or residential structures. I include streets, sidewalks, patios, curbs, driveways in the term structures.

When the roots are wounded, this creates openings for aggressive fungi. Four years of drought also has stressed the trees, and I personally believe that drought, ice damage, excessive rain early this spring all stress the trees and that is why we are seeing more fungi.

I have a large willow oak in my backyard that in 2002 developed a mushroom (Inonotus dryadeus) on one of the flare roots that protrudes into the gravel driveway. I first noticed it when it was about the size of a silver dollar. By the end of the fall, it was about a foot in diameter. In 2003 it did not appear at all, and that in itself was interesting to me since I thought it would be larger and more spread out in 2003. Past experience shows that once this fungi starts growing, it gets progressively bigger each year. I will be posting some additional photos here.

McNeary’s Ponds and Aquatic Plants        3521 Monroe Road      Charlotte, NC 28205
Telephone 704-618-6214    E-Mail  jmcneary(removethis)@gmail.com

McNeary’s Ponds and Aquatic Plants 
www.mcnearyspondsandaquaticplants.com   
3521 Monroe Rd, Charlotte, NC 28205
Phone: 704.618-6214