Araucaria bidwillii trunk bleeding

Alby

I have a large Bunya pine that has large amounts of weeping and bark cracking extending about 3m up the trunk. Does anyone know of fungal pathogens that infect this species. Its neighbour 4m south of the tree (Picea smitheana) has similar symptoms with areas of bark dieback and weeping between the butress flairs.

Fair chance these syptoms are arising from ground level. Any help would be appreciated.

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Brent Ferris

Hard to be sure (Tasmania is a long way from Canada) but, is that blob of gum in single spot(s) only? If so, pull it off and if there is a hole, insert a wire and hopefully kill the grub inside. I have heard of using a lit cigarette against the hole to force the grub out with heat, and kill it then. If it is a grub, killing it will end the problem, and the tree will no longer be trying to drown the grub with gum.

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Eric Frei

In the first pic there is a plaque on the tree, is it in the botanic gardens or something?

We need better pictures. Like the tree all over, the lower half, the base, the environment it is in etc. If it's in Tassie it's a long way from home.

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Alby

Thanks, the tree is in the Botanical Gardens down here. We actually have a couple of good specimens growing in different sections of the Gardens.

The tree is growing in a lawn area where there has been no previous signs of Armillaria, we have had it checked for Pythophra with no positive results. The gumming is in multiple spots and not caused by insect damage. The crown is in excellent condition with no dieback apart from some smaller shaded out branches.

I am going to Picus both trees to investigate if any decay has penetrated into the tree from these cracks/lesions.

Eric Frei

I'm thinking it could be due to weather.

Has it been different this year some how?

Maybe expansion due to freezing after lots of rain, or could be growth expansion with striation to follow.

Here I often see drips of resin from the really large hoops and bunya's but the trees are OK. I have disected some and found nothing. when you prune these guys they weep like crazy, leaving a candle wax effect, so any tiny fissue or crack in the bark and similar happens.

Investigate but I really doubt you'll spot anything, next choice is resistograph or core, you decide which one.

Also lets be hypothetical. Lets say it is cracked.

What would the remedy be? You would not cut it down right so what next? Bolting and cabling, and to do that you be drilling holes right?

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