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Willow > Trunk/Branches > Scattered dead branches in canopy

1 of 3
  • Valsa canker 1

    Credit: Randy Nelson, University of Minnesota Extension

  • Valsa canker 2

    Credit: Randy Nelson, University of Minnesota Extension

  • Valsa canker 3

    Credit: Randy Nelson, University of Minnesota Extension

  • - CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE -

green arrowValsa canker
Valsa sordida

  • Leaves on random branches wilt, turn yellow then brown
  • Random dead branches seen throughout the canopy
  • Sunken irregulary-elongated cankers with cracked bark at the edges occur on branches or the main trunk
  • On thick barked trees, cankers may not be visible
  • In wet weather curled tendrils of orange spores emerge from pimple-like fungal structures within infected branches
  • Common on trees stressed by drought, winter injury, wounds, insect feeding or other factors
  • More information on Valsa canker...
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  • Sapwood rot 1

    Credit: M. Grabowski, University of Minnesota

  • Sapwood rot 2

    Credit: J. O'Brien, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org

  • Sapwood rot 3

    Credit: M. Grabowski, University of Minnesota

  • - CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE -

green arrowSapwood rot
Schizophyllum commune, Cerenna unicolor, Trametes versicolor

  • Dead branches within the canopy
  • Yellowing to brown leaves may be present
  • Groups or rows of small (<2 inches wide) semi-circle shelf fungi along killed branches or on the main trunk, often near cracks or wounds
  • Schizophyllum shelf fungi are white and appear fuzzy on top
  • Cerrena fungi are white to greenish grey and have concentric rings on the surface
  • Trametes shelf fungi are tan to brown with darker rings
  • Wood below fungal shelves is yellowish to white, spongy, crumbly and decayed
  • Bark around fungal shelves is killed and often falls off
  • Common on trees stressed by drought, winter injury, wounds, mechanical injury or other factors
  • More information on Sapwood rot...
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  • Armillaria root rot 1

    Credit: M. Grabowski, University of Minnesota

  • Armillaria root rot 2

    Credit: M. Grabowski, University of Minnesota

  • Armillaria root rot 3

    Credit: M. Grabowski, University of Minnesota

  • - CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE -

green arrowArmillaria root rot
Armillaria spp.

  • Infected trees have poor growth, dead branches in the upper canopy, undersized and/or yellow leaves
  • Flat white sheets of fungal growth (mycelial fans) between the bark and sapwood at the base of infected trees
  • Thick black, shoestring-like fungus can sometimes be seen under the bark, around roots and in the soil around the base of the tree
  • Wood is decayed, white, soft and spongy; this may extend from the base of the tree well up into the trunk
  • Trees frequently break or fall over in storms
  • Clusters of honey-colored mushrooms may grow at the base of the tree in fall
  • More information on Armillaria root rot...

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