Aggressive Fungi: Urgent Reporting for Tree Health Preservation in our Area

In search of a mushroom this morning, which I thought I wouldn't be lucky enough to find, I actually turned out to be luckier than I had anticipated, potentially saving some trees around us.

As I returned from an unsuccessful mushroom hunt in the woods.
I discovered this fungi called Burnt or Brittle Cinder (Kretzschmaria deusta) growing on an old stump just down the road.

I hadn't encountered this kind before. With its beautiful gray color with a white margin and a very smooth-looking surface, you wouldn't want to see this growing on any tree.

Since it's uncommon, I researched further and found out that this is an aggressive fungus that deceptively attacks trees from the roots to the base of the trunk, targeting the cellulose and lignin of the wood, causing rapid decay and loss of strength in the wood, while leaving the tree looking healthy until it suddenly falls.

The young ones can look like paint and get darker as they grow older, similar to coal or burnt bark blending with the bark, hence it goes unnoticed as it looks just like a part of the bark.

So, today I had to call the council to report this fungus, knowing that it can spread and kill other trees around.

We cannot afford to have more trees infected as we are currently suffering from Ash Dieback. But I do wonder why some trees around, which were not ash, had still fallen. It is something that needs looking into; it may well be that this fungus is the culprit. So, I am hoping someone will come to remove and grind the old tree stump so it doesn't spread. Unfortunately, there's no known prevention method.

These trees are susceptible to infection when their bark is wounded or damaged, providing an entry point for the fungus.

European beech (Fagus sylvatica)
Red maple (Acer rubrum)
Norway maple (Acer platanoides)
American linden (Tilia americana)
Oak (Quercus spp.)
Hackberry (Celtis spp.)
Apple (Malus spp.)

So, I also hope that if you spot this type of fungus, you would do the same to protect our valuable trees. This finding should shed some light for us all.

I wouldn't have searched for this if it weren't for @FungiFriday by @Ewkaw and our fungi friends, so thank you to this group.

Have a wonderful fungi-searching experience, everyone!

Mariah 💗