r/arborist

Hi everyone!
I’m looking for some advice regarding a young Norway spruce (Picea abies) that I have planted in the ground in my garden.
I recently noticed a strange brown, layered, shelf-like growth emerging directly from the base of the trunk, right around the root collar.
Here are a few observations:
The growth has several overlapping layers, almost like miniature bracket mushrooms.
It feels soft and somewhat spongy, not hard or woody.
It is definitely not sticky like conifer resin.
The surrounding soil has been quite moist, and there is some wood-chip mulch nearby.
The tree’s foliage still appears green, without obvious widespread dieback.
The growth seems to originate directly from the trunk rather than from the surrounding soil.
My main concern is that this could be a wood-decaying fungus indicating root or basal trunk rot.
Unfortunately, I live in an area where finding a qualified arborist is extremely difficult, so I may have to manage this myself.
I would really appreciate your opinions on a few questions:
Does anyone recognize this type of fungal growth?
Could this be a harmless saprophytic fungus growing on dead outer bark, or is it more likely a sign of internal wood decay?
Should I carefully remove the fungal structures, or would scraping them off potentially make things worse?
Is there anything I can realistically do to stop the progression and save the tree?
Would improving drainage and exposing the root collar help, or is the damage potentially already irreversible?
I’ve attached close-up photographs of the affected area.
I really care about this little spruce and would like to give it the best possible chance of surviving.
Any advice from arborists, plant pathologists, or anyone who has dealt with something similar would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

Walnut tree, planted it ~20 years ago. Northern Italy.
I fear that water might accumulate in there and cause rot. Opinions?
TIA.

This poor tree has been through alot... when we moved in 2 years ago it was healthy looking other than the reverse mohawk. So we found out that a tornado had hit the house in 2011 and taken 5 trees from the front yard, and left the sweetgum looking thinned in that tornado damaged way and the elder and red maples as just 15ft tall trunks. The elder grew back wonderfully but the red grew back oddly. Then a year or so before moving in the previous owner who was a 22yo moron trying to start a business cut 2 primary roots out of the tree. The ones going down the hill toward the fence. Initially this only killed 2 limbs down the center of the tree causing the reverse mohawk. I cut the dead limbs out and removed a ton of poison ivy growth when i moved in. Last year the tree seemed to improve a bit. But then this year multiple limbs in line with the mohawk just never came back. Then in a storm a primary healthy one broke off.. then the whole downhill side just browned and died. Now after the SEVERE heat and drought we just had the only remaining healthy limb has turned brown. But its fall and this is widespread in this area right now.

I was going to prune all limbs except that last healthy one off in a month or so and let the tree recover from its remaining roots... but now idk if thatll even work. I REALLY want to save this tree, nomatter how stupid it looks. Do i cut it down to a 6ft stump to regrow? Is it a lost cause? I need real advice and cannot pay a tree company thousands of dollars. I can do the work myself. Thank you.

I have an American sycamore in my backyard. It was planted before I moved in 7-8 years ago and it’s grown very large. It’s never really been pruned other than some very low branches.

I’m trying to keep some grass growing in that area, which I know will be a challenge in any case. In one of the photos you can see where the main trunk splits off. Is that a good mark to shoot for?

I’m wondering if someone could give me advice on limbing it up to create more open space lower in the canopy so more light can hit the ground. I’ve seen some very old, beautiful American sycamores in my area that have very high canopies. I’m not sure if that’s normal or not. Any advice is appreciated.

Hello! We recently planted some trees in central Minnesota area two weeks ago. The first two pictures are maple trees, the third is a small crab apple, and the rest are pillar birches. We planted them too deep as we didn’t know about the root flare recommendation. Just curious if these will be alright or if it’s worth replanting them? We weren’t sure about the added stress this late in the season before winter if we replanted. Thank you!

How realistic would it be to have this bad boy removed all in one go? We’ve had a few quotes of companies willing to take weight off, but no one willing to remove entirely. The house is just outside of shot, power lines running the opposite side. Fences on all sides and she’s massive. She’s destroyed our septic system and must go before a replacement can be installed. Camping chair for size reference Indiana zone 6a

How can I fix this?

Not much for tree knowledge. Silver oak or maple, noticed this when cutting the grass and looking for input. It’s an old tree on the property I bought about a yr ago. It has gone through a lot from the looks of it so just wanting some advice thank you!

Hi all,

I have an apple tree in my garden that I am very reluctant to cut down. I am currently re doing my garden and if I need to cut it down I’d rather do it before doing the garden. I can fit my first into the trunk and it’s very easy to pick away at the inside at parts.

Is the tree dying or likely to die/cause problems soon?

Thanks in advance.

Edit: The main reason for asking is because there are still apples growing all over the tree.

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