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Hi Mary & All, Sept 14, 2006
If your back garden has had additional drainage installed in the
last decade, or other changes that would decrease wettness then they may
be dying from increased competition. Larch is usually found only in
poorly drained soil where (I suspect) root competition is less vigorous
than in well drained soil.
About 1970 many Larch lost their needles about 2 months earlier than
usual (insect eruption or disease; I don't remember). The Dept. of Lands
and Forests assured me that it was a blip and nothing to worry about.
The following year they were healthy. Is the cambium dead in your trees ?
It could be related to the heavy rains in June & July if these trees
are exposed to wind; sodden soil, numerous roots broken -> xylem plugged
with fungi or bacteria. Just ideas.
Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville
Mary Macaulay wrote:
> Speaking of dead larches - I have several very recently dead ones in
> my back garden - Does anyone know what might be killing them?
> Mary
>
> ----Original Message Follows----
> From: Bob McDonald <bobathome@hfx.eastlink.ca>
> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Fuzzy "stuff" on trees, ID?
> Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 16:56:22 -0300
>
> Hello Peter,
>
> Your "fuzzy stuff" growing on the trees are lichens. This is clearly
> an Usnea species (a so-called Beard Lichen) but there are several of
> these in NS. It looks most like Usnea longissima (Methusaleh's Beard
> Lichen) which can be up to 3 m long!!
>
> BTW, lichens do not harm the tree and use it simply as a substrate,
> i.e. a place to grow. There is an increasing number of people in the
> province interested in learning about lichens, especially since they
> are a valuable natural indicator of air quality. In fact, the Usnea
> lichens in particular are very intolerant of pollution and are hard to
> find, say, on the Halifax peninsula. We have a few small Usnea
> lichens growing on a dead Larch in our backyard and as the air quality
> improves more, they can get very large. Yours is a very healthy
> population and clearly the air quality is very high!!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Bob McDonald
> Clayton Park West
> Halifax
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Peter dewit
> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
> Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 4:09 PM
> Subject: [NatureNS] Fuzzy "stuff" on trees, ID?
>
>
> Noticed the "fuzz" growing on the trees at Thomas Cove Coastal
> Reserve, Headlands Trail when hiking on Saturday (sept 9th)
>
> I'm not familiar with what it is. They were growing on the base of
> the trees, probably taking over the lower 3-5 feet of branches that
> started at about 6 feet off the ground, almost no leaves on those
> branches, and they were on parts of the trunk. Above that area the
> trees looked normal. I did not think to stop and record the type of
> tree or photograph more of it while I was on a fast walking pace.
>
> It was very dry to touch, probably makes a good fire starter when in
> neeed.
>
> Some photos included here:
>
> http://halifaxns.net/peterpictures/thomascove/thomascove18.JPG
> http://halifaxns.net/peterpictures/thomascove/thomascove19.JPG
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
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> 9/11/2006
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>
>
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