Identifying Heart Rot Disease In Your Trees

Heart rot is a type of fungus that destroys mature trees and creates decay in branches and the center of tree trunks. The fungus harms and obliterates a tree’s structure. It then becomes a safety hazard. The damage can at first be unseen from the exterior of the tree. It’s crucial to know about identifying heart rot disease in your trees. 
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Heart Rot Disease
All hardwood trees are vulnerable to numerous fungal infections referred to as heart rot tree disease. The molds cause the heartwood in the middle of the trees’ branches and trunks to begin rotting.

Causes of Heart Rot
The fungi creating heart rot in trees can strike almost any tree. However, weak and old trees are the most vulnerable. The fungi kill the tree’s hemicellulose, cellulose, and sometimes its lignin, causing the tree to fall ultimately. You might not be able to see if a tree has heart rot tree disease because all the rot is on the inside.

If you can see the trunk’s interior because of injury to the bark or a cut, you may see a decomposed area. Some forms of heart rot in trees create mushroom-looking fruiting bodies to form on trees’ exteriors. These structures are termed brackets or conks. You can see them surrounding a wound the root crown and in the bark. Some are yearly and only emerge with the early rains, others bring new layers every year.

Bacterial Heart Rot
The fungi that create heart rot tree disease are separated into three kinds: soft rot, white rot, and brown rot. Brown rot is typically the most serious and makes the rotten wood dry up and deteriorate into squares. White rot is not that serious, the decayed wood feeling spongy and moist.

Fungus and bacteria create soft rot, causing the illness called bacterial heart rot. Bacterial heart rot advances very slowly and creates the least physical harm in trees. Although they do produce decay in hemicellulose, lignin, and cellulose in affected trees, the mildew doesn’t spread far or fast. If your tree is diseased beyond repair, call a tree care company for tree and stump removal services.

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