I learned to use a chainsaw today
Cloggie
Posts: 1,457
My inherited ancient apple that had a bracket fungus last year has another bracket fungus this year and yesterday lost a massive limb that overhung next doors' garden.
We've done emergency chainsaw surgery and made safe (and some logs for a planned future wood burner) but I wondered what the team thinks about euthenasia in such circumstances?
Some of the branches have dark hearts. There is evidence of a woodpecker having lived in it and rusty looking colouration on the bark.
I'll post pix later when it's light.
Other than that, it's busting with apples! (Swansong? 
)
My feeling (if only for my piece of mind) is to give it a massive coppice this winter (when not in growth) and make it safe and hope that this gives it a boost next year.
Bit worried that this dithering allows the fungal spores to spread around the neighbourhood and I should be responsible and fell and grind the whole thing out and replant. Other searches say that rotting trees are good for wildlife and I'm all for this so conflicted.
What do others think? Would be nice to hear your opinions, what would you do?
Ta,
Cloggie.
Posts
rotting trees are good, but I'd make it horizontal to avoid any future work.
With the bracket fungus and the rotting heart its days are numbered as a fruit tree.
If you coppice you'll probably cut off the grafted apple and be left with whatever the rootstock is
In the sticks near Peterborough
Really Nut? Maybe I don't understand what I meant by "coppice". I'm thinking give it the best haircut it's ever had.
Coppice, cut it all down to the ground. We did the hazels last year and they've made new growth taller than me. Works for a lot of trees but not grafted ones
Last edited: 17 September 2016 19:49:41
In the sticks near Peterborough
So based on my misnamed idea of coppicing which is to cut the branches back to a pretty bare framework this winter (which I know will cause a ton of watershoots to sprout), how do you think a compromised old apple will cope with this given its history?
Wondering if I need to get out the black gardening hat?
sounds like black hat time to me
make a nice woodpile for the beasties
In the sticks near Peterborough
Or some for them and some for the stove!
Thanks Nut. Sad.
If I were to cut stepping stones out of the trunk, would the fungus live on in them? (might be a dumb question but gonna ask it anyway)
Yes the fungus would live on and rot down would be much quicker than with healthy logs
In the sticks near Peterborough
and carry on being infectious presumably.
Fungal spores are all around us. Fungi are how dead stuff is broken down. Most are beneficial, many are harmless, very few are harmful. The fungus is unlikely to have killed your tree it will have moved into dead wood.
All part of life's rich tapestry, not a problem
In the sticks near Peterborough
Philosophical and wise Nut, helps with the raw grief.
Thanks for the support x