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Stability of trees infected by wood decay fungi estimated by acoustic tomography: a field survey

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Abstract

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In addition to the presence of fruiting bodies on tree stems, computation of a tree’s safety factor (SF) of individual trees plays a vital part in the stability evaluation of trees affected by wood decay fungi.

Abstract

In this survey, we assessed the relationships between the presence of visible fruiting bodies and measurements of both wood damage and tree safety factor (SF), the final aim being the determination of whether a tree showing wood decay signs should be felled or not. In general, trees affected by wood-decaying fungi cannot be considered risky prior to determining the impact of the fungi on their structural integrity. Trees of nine genera from 13 localities of Slovakia were included in this survey. In total, nineteen species of fungi were found causing wood decay on 74 individual host trees. Acoustic tomography was done using a Fakopp 3D tomograph, and SF was calculated by ArborSonic 3D software. The most commonly occurring taxon, Fomes fomentarius (L.) Fr., was found on six tree genera. The highest degree of damaged area on trunks was caused by fungi in the genera Fomes, Ganoderma, and Perenniporia (over 70%), while the lowest damage was caused by genera Spongipellis, Cerrena, and Auricularia (up to 30%). The lowest values of SF were measured on trees of the genus Acer infected by Fomes fomentarius; Prunus infected by Phellinus pomaceus (Pers.) Maire; and Fagus infected by Ganoderma pfeifferi Bres. Computation of the SF of individual trees plays a vital part in the stability evaluation of trees affected by wood decay fungi.

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Data availability

The dataset generated during the current study is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Not applicable.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Scott LaGreca (Duke University, Durham, NC, USA) for kindly correcting the English, and Alena Magušinová for her help during fieldwork.

Funding

This research was funded by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic and of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, grant number VEGA 2/0062/18.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Pathology and Mycology, Institute of Forest Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Akademická 2, 949 01, Nitra, Slovak Republic

    Marek Kobza, Radovan Ostrovský, Katarína Adamčíková & Katarína Pastirčáková

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  1. Marek Kobza
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  2. Radovan Ostrovský
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  3. Katarína Adamčíková
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  4. Katarína Pastirčáková
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Correspondence to Radovan Ostrovský.

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Kobza, M., Ostrovský, R., Adamčíková, K. et al. Stability of trees infected by wood decay fungi estimated by acoustic tomography: a field survey. Trees 36, 103–112 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-021-02185-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-021-02185-w

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