Mushrooms/fungus on collected hornbeam trunk?

[circledisk]

2 of my large collected hornbeam stumps have started sprouting white mushrooms. Their foliage seems unimpaired and healthy, I haven’t checked the roots to not disturb the soil at all as they were collected in the spring.

I’ve attached pictures. This is the first time I’ve run into this issue. Any experience here?

Perhaps @19Mateo83 has seen this?

 

[Tbrshou]

I've had this show up on some of my trees each one grew on dead portions of the trees. Not saying it's the answer just an observation I've made with my trees.

 

[circledisk]

I've had this show up on some of my trees each one grew on dead portions of the trees. Not saying it's the answer just an observation I've made with my trees.

I had this thought too, but I scraped the bark and found green cambium right around the fungus.

 

[19Mateo83]

I have seen this in the woods while scouting for trees collect. I don’t know if they are bad for the tree, probably just living on dead or dying parts.

 

[Shibui]

There are many different fungi that live on wood. Some consume living wood but most are feeding on dead parts of the trunk.
Despite the cambium in that area being green still I am pretty certain that side of the trunk is/ will soon be dead. The shoots are on the opposite side of the stump. Sap travels up and down between roots and leaves. It does not travel far across the trunk.
I've dug quite a few stumps and when there's only shoots on one side the trunks have all died back to something like this.

Many have died further down to include the roots on the side that has no shoots.

I doubt the fungi will bother the living part of that tree but I would start planning for extensive carving as part of the design for your hornbeams

 

[AshleyMammal]

I would start planning for extensive carving as part of the design for your hornbeams

Always extensively carve hornbeams!

 

[rockm]

Ear fungus on trees feed on dead wood. There a a few kinds varying in texture and color. Ear fungus on hornbeam is pretty common. Looks to me from the cracking on the surface of the trunk up near the chop to the right of the fungus says to me that a portion of the trunk has died back.

 

[circledisk]

There are many different fungi that live on wood. Some consume living wood but most are feeding on dead parts of the trunk.
Despite the cambium in that area being green still I am pretty certain that side of the trunk is/ will soon be dead. The shoots are on the opposite side of the stump. Sap travels up and down between roots and leaves. It does not travel far across the trunk.
I've dug quite a few stumps and when there's only shoots on one side the trunks have all died back to something like this.
View attachment 559513
Many have died further down to include the roots on the side that has no shoots.

I doubt the fungi will bother the living part of that tree but I would start planning for extensive carving as part of the design for your hornbeams

That’s about where I was going to carve. I’m waiting for the new shoots to harden off though. I might spray with a natural antifungal just to keep it at bay until then

 

[Empty Mountain]

That’s about where I was going to carve. I’m waiting for the new shoots to harden off though. I might spray with a natural antifungal just to keep it at bay until then

Why not just leave the fungus be and let it do the work for you? lol

 

[circledisk]

Why not just leave the fungus be and let it do the work for you? lol

is there a risk of it spreading to healthy parts of the tree under the cambium?

 

[rockm]

is there a risk of it spreading to healthy parts of the tree under the cambium?

There are no "healthy" parts of the tree under the cambium. It's wood--it's not living tissue. It's only supporting structure. That wood is susceptible to rot. Heartwood rots out of living trees all the time. They collapse. Leaving it and the deadwood it's feeding on can lead to more rot inside the heartwood. Get rid of it.

 

[circledisk]

There are no "healthy" parts of the tree under the cambium. It's wood--it's not living tissue. It's only supporting structure. That wood is susceptible to rot. Heartwood rots out of living trees all the time. They collapse. Leaving it and the deadwood it's feeding on can lead to more rot inside the heartwood. Get rid of it.

That's what I was alluding to, thanks for the correction on terminology. I just treated it with an antifungal spray and removed all the surface mushrooms. On another hornbeam I have, the fungus is almost down to the bottom of the trunk just above the only live bud that sprouted after collection. Oh well!

 

[TwilightTrees]

That's what I was alluding to, thanks for the correction on terminology. I just treated it with an antifungal spray and removed all the surface mushrooms. On another hornbeam I have, the fungus is almost down to the bottom of the trunk just above the only live bud that sprouted after collection. Oh well!

The fungus mycelium is reaching far into the core of the woods. What you see is just the reproductive system. Like apples on an apple tree