a partner church in the WOLDSBURN benefice
CHURCH AT KIRKBURN
850TH ANNIVERSARY
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TREE LOSS AT KIRKBURN CHURCH
(Re-print from St.Mary’s Magazine, March 2006 - Document No. 2)
Many of you will have noticed the loss of trees in the churchyard over the past few years and in particular the most recent tree, the large, beautiful flowering cherry.
The tree died suddenly last summer with the flowers and leaves withering and the small branches dying. Initial research suggested that Honey Fungus was the culprit & this was confirmed by the RHS from the samples sent by Judy Adamson.
Using a plan drawn by John Armitage, it appears that the privet hedge and seven trees bordering the road have died since 1992 and it is probable that honey fungus was responsible.
It spreads at about a metre per year through the root systems of interconnected plants and trees. Once the hedge had been infected it would have acted like a corridor conveying the fungus to each tree in turn. The less vigorous trees would have succumbed first and the more vigorous trees last. The fungus can still be seen working its way along the privet hedge at the back of Church Cottages and we hope to dig out the infected section and burn it.
Some species of trees are resistant, but unfortunately all those along the front of the church are susceptible. These include flowering cherries, the apple family, hawthorn, maples and sycamores. We also found the fungus in the roots of a dying hawthorn to the west of the lych gate, so it is possible that most of the trees along the roadside, to either side of the gate, may be infected at some point.
Honey fungus is a particularly pernicious disease. There is no cure and the only remedy is to cut down the tree, grub up the stump and as much of the roots as possible and remove or burn them. At the moment we are waiting for better conditions to deal with this.
Luckily, most of the species in the new hedge are beech and hornbeam and they are reasonably resistant, but unfortunately the hawthorn and field maples are not.
The current advice is that once the infected trees have been removed, the ground should be left for at least a year before new trees can be planted. Only resistant species should be planted and this unfortunately excludes any of the ornamental flowering fruit trees.
The fungus can also be spread by the movement of infected soil and roots and it seems sensible to take precautions against further contamination. All infected material needs to be burned or disposed of and soil should not be taken from any of the infected areas and moved to other parts of the churchyard. This may also apply to the soil from graves dug near to the infected trees. Hopefully, with a bit of care we can halt the spread beyond the current area.
(Re-
Many of you will have noticed the loss of trees in the churchyard over the past few years and in particular the most recent tree, the large, beautiful flowering cherry.
The tree died suddenly last summer with the flowers and leaves withering and the small branches dying. Initial research suggested that Honey Fungus was the culprit & this was confirmed by the RHS from the samples sent by Judy Adamson.
Using a plan drawn by John Armitage, it appears that the privet hedge and seven trees bordering the road have died since 1992 and it is probable that honey fungus was responsible.
It spreads at about a metre per year through the root systems of interconnected plants and trees. Once the hedge had been infected it would have acted like a corridor conveying the fungus to each tree in turn. The less vigorous trees would have succumbed first and the more vigorous trees last. The fungus can still be seen working its way along the privet hedge at the back of Church Cottages and we hope to dig out the infected section and burn it.
Some species of trees are resistant, but unfortunately all those along the front of the church are susceptible. These include flowering cherries, the apple family, hawthorn, maples and sycamores. We also found the fungus in the roots of a dying hawthorn to the west of the lych gate, so it is possible that most of the trees along the roadside, to either side of the gate, may be infected at some point.
Honey fungus is a particularly pernicious disease. There is no cure and the only remedy is to cut down the tree, grub up the stump and as much of the roots as possible and remove or burn them. At the moment we are waiting for better conditions to deal with this.
Luckily, most of the species in the new hedge are beech and hornbeam and they are reasonably resistant, but unfortunately the hawthorn and field maples are not.
The current advice is that once the infected trees have been removed, the ground should be left for at least a year before new trees can be planted. Only resistant species should be planted and this unfortunately excludes any of the ornamental flowering fruit trees.
The fungus can also be spread by the movement of infected soil and roots and it seems sensible to take precautions against further contamination. All infected material needs to be burned or disposed of and soil should not be taken from any of the infected areas and moved to other parts of the churchyard. This may also apply to the soil from graves dug near to the infected trees. Hopefully, with a bit of care we can halt the spread beyond the current area.