Nothing sends fear through a gardener like honey fungus. It’s a parasitic fungus, orangey brown in colour, that attacks and kills the roots of many trees. It’s one of the most destructive fungal diseases and no tree is completely immune!
But just because your tree is infected it doesn’t mean it always needs to be removed.
First of all there are several different types of honey fungus and they all differ by how deadly they are. And secondly the vitality and vigour of the infected tree needs to be taken into account; Whilst an infected tree may well eventually succumb to the fungus it could take decades to happen.
And that’s why we didn’t have to remove this tree we were recently called out to.
It’s mature tree that has a honey fungus infection in the heartwood but is otherwise healthy. It’ll still be around for some time but its stability had been weakened by the infection.
And with children often playing below it the last thing we want is branches to fall off or the whole thing falling over.
In order to improve the stability of the tree we gave the tree a crown reduction. We reduced the overall spread of the canopy and thinned it out. This means there is a reduced weight load on each union which will help to prevent branches breaking off. And a smaller lighter canopy overall will reduce the weight load on the trunk and reduce wind sail.
As an aside, did you know that the largest living thing on our planet is a single honey fungus? It lives in the Malheur National Forest in the Blue Mountains of Oregon, spans 3.4 square miles and is estimated to be 2,400 years old!
If you spot honey fungus on your trees make sure to consult an expert before making any decisions as every case is different. Get in touch with us and we will take a look at your tree and give it a full health assessment.
