Mushrooms? Growing from my oak tree - Ask Extension
I had my old oak trees trimmed this summer. Over the weekend, I noticed a few small things growing from one of the places where a limb was removed.
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Mushrooms? Growing from my oak tree #807703
Asked August 23, 2022, 3:24 PM EDT
I had my old oak trees trimmed this summer. Over the weekend, I noticed a few small things growing from one of the places where a limb was removed.
It’s grown exponentially since then!
I want to be sure it’s not damaging my tree or harmful to my children playing on the swingset right below these fungi. It’s about 12-15 feet up so this is the best photo I could get!
Hamilton County Ohio
Expert Response
Christie,
This is a fungus with the common name Chicken-of-the-woods. There are a couple of sulfur self mushrooms that are covered by this common name, but a common species in Ohio is Laetiporus sulphureus. It would be considered parasitic in this case because it is growing on a living tree. The structure that you see growing in the pruning wound is just a small portion of the fungus, it is a reproductive structure. The rest of the fungus in growing within the wood of the tree producing a brown heart rot of the trunk and roots of the tree. The fungus is one of the most serious causes of decay in oaks.
It looks like there has already been some major limb loss on this tree. I would recommend contacting a certified arborist with hazard tree evaluation training to assess the condition of the tree to provide additional recommendations. The International Society of Arboriculture provides a search engine to help locate arborists in your locale: https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist
Here is a link to additional information: https://www.messiah.edu/Oakes/fungi_on_wood/poroid%20fungi/species%20pages/Laetiporus%20sulphureus.htm
This is a fungus with the common name Chicken-of-the-woods. There are a couple of sulfur self mushrooms that are covered by this common name, but a common species in Ohio is Laetiporus sulphureus. It would be considered parasitic in this case because it is growing on a living tree. The structure that you see growing in the pruning wound is just a small portion of the fungus, it is a reproductive structure. The rest of the fungus in growing within the wood of the tree producing a brown heart rot of the trunk and roots of the tree. The fungus is one of the most serious causes of decay in oaks.
It looks like there has already been some major limb loss on this tree. I would recommend contacting a certified arborist with hazard tree evaluation training to assess the condition of the tree to provide additional recommendations. The International Society of Arboriculture provides a search engine to help locate arborists in your locale: https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist
Here is a link to additional information: https://www.messiah.edu/Oakes/fungi_on_wood/poroid%20fungi/species%20pages/Laetiporus%20sulphureus.htm
