UK Tree Care - http://www.oak-wood.co.uk/uktc/
The thing about the stump is that it is not a natural occurrence. Trees
don't naturally fail and leave a stump. They uproot, leave part of the
stem intact, or numerous other variations, but not a nice clean stump. The
artificial creation of a stump is a product of man, and has proliferated at
an exponential scale since the advent of the chainsaw. Might it be the
case that such stumps create a microbial environment that is more
favourable to the colonisation of Honey Fungus, at the expense of other,
less pathogenic or antagonistic, fungi, that would also be competing for
the newly available resource. The consequence being that the ability of
the Honey Fungus to infect erstwhile resistant trees in greatly enhanced.
Thus, augmenting its operating range further because pathogenicity usually
falls off with distance. And with these newly occupied territories, the
fungus has a forward operating base with which it can recharge its
batteries and move on to the next victim. A not dissimilar scenario occurs
with Heterobasidion annosum, and it would certainly not be the first time
that a common practised cultural activity, undertaken by man, has
detrimentally affected the environment.
Cheers
Acer ventura
-----Original Message-----
From: areeves [SMTP:areeves@xxxxxxxxxxx.ac.uk]
Sent: 13 December 1999 17:42
To: uktc
Subject: RE: Armillaria
UK Tree Care - http://www.oak-wood.co.uk/uktc/
The Armillaria problem is an interesting one.
How does the situation where the organism is encouraged deliberately,
(some people eat A. or may wish to have a "wild" garden) by the leaving
of infected stumps compare to the problem of noxious weeds (take your
pick but I'm thinking mostly of things like ragwort etc =
"notifiables".) ?
Would such a scenario change the perception of the problem?
Alan E. Reeves
B.Sc., Cert.Ed.,M.I.Biol.,C.Biol.,F.R.E.S..
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