Recognise bracket fungus

22nd August 2021

Polypores or bracket fungi look dramatic when they occur on a tree: they are the fruiting bodies of a fungus that is affecting the heartwood - not the live tissue around the outside which keeps the whole tree living, but the core of the trunk and branches. It doesn't mean the tree will die in the short term, but it's a symptom of structural weakness and the tree may fall or shed branches depending on the position of the fungi and how established the rot is. In practical terms it's more of an arborist's problem than a gardener's, because the remedy is only going to be removal of the tree or of affected limbs, there's no treatment.