What Is Bacterial Heart Rot In Trees
Heart rot is a type of fungus attacking mature trees and
causing rot in the center of the tree trunk and branches. This type of fungus
damages, and eventually destroys the normal structure of the tree and over
time, makes it a safety hazard. Initially the damage isn’t visible from the
exterior of the tree, but the fruiting bodies on the outside of the bark are a
good indicator there’s a problem.
What is Heart Rot Disease?
All hardwood trees are vulnerable a number of fungal
infections referred to as heart rot tree disease. The fungi, especially Fomes
spp. and Polyporus cause the “heartwood” found in the center of the tree’s
trunk or branches to decay.
What is the Cause of Heart Rot?
The fungi that causes heart rot in trees is able to attack
just about any tree, but weak, stressed, and old trees are the most at risk.
The tree’s cellulose and hemicellulose and occasionally its lignin, is
destroyed by the fungi destroys increasing the likelihood that the tree will fall.
Bacterial Heart Rot
The fungi that is responsible for heart rot tree disease is separated
into three kinds: brown rot, soft rot and white rot.
Brown rot is usually the most serious and will cause
the decayed wood to become dry and then crumble into cubes.
Soft rot is caused by fungus and bacteria, and results
in a condition that is called bacterial heart rot.
White rot is not as serious, and the rotted wood
feels moist and spongy to the touch.
Bacterial heart rot progresses extremely slow and results in
the least amount of structural harm in the tree.While it does cause hemicellulose,
cellulose, and lignin decay in the trees that are affected, the decay does not
spread far or fast.