Strange fungus-like growth on tree

tropidog

I have two trees in my back garden. I have no idea what type they are as we have only lived here since November and they haven't had leaves on them yet.

A large branch has broken off one of them. Inside the branch, the wood has a whiteish look:

 

 

On the outside of the tree, there are also fungus-like things growing on its bark:

 

 

These are hard and wood-like to touch.

 

Is this growth killing the tree? If so, can I stop it somehow?

 

Thanks.

 

marshmello

Don't quote me, but it almost looks like horses hoof fungus. What tree please ?

BobTheGardener

Hi tropidog, those are 'bracket fungi', the fruiting body of a fungus which grows in the heartwood of the tree and will likely eventually kill it.  There is, unfortunately, no way to control it.  You could try cutting off any branches which are showing the brackets, but the fungus could well be in the main trunk.  If it is a large tree, it could become dangerous as the fungi will severely weaken the wood itself and branches can fall off at any time, so I would strongly recommend asking a local tree surgeon to take a look.

 

tropidog

Yes, it is a large tree. Some of it looks dead already, but other parts of it look ok.

We are getting a tree surgeon in to tend to some other large trees, so I'll get him to look at it at the same time.

Can it spread to other trees? We have a lot in the garden, so I'm now concerned about the others.

marshmello

Looks quite serious from what I've just read tropidog. 

BobTheGardener

It spreads by spores in the air (which are released from the 'brackets'), but these need to fall on an open wound (eg where a branch has broken or been cut off) of another tree and even then probably won't infect it.  It may only infect certain species. Not very much is really known about fungi like this to be perfectly honest.

nutcutlet

I can't get the photos to open up butagree with Bob. We hadan ash with a lovely bracket fungus, we admired its beauty for some time. But in a gale it all came down and took a few other trees and shrubs with it. I think the tree had well advanced rot and the fungus moved in, rather than the fungus caused the rot.