I’ve been using my Arbotom tree tomograph instrument for a year now and am very impressed with its accuracy.

Lime

The first set of images below show a Lime (Tilia cordata) infected with the (primarily root and stem) decay fungus Kretschmaria deusta (Stubbdyna in Swedish).

In summer 2017 the crown looked healthy…

… however,  a small bark discolouration on the butt raised my suspicions.

A closer visual assessment revealed those small black crusty structures typical of the mature fruit bodies of Kretschmaria deusta.

Of course the extent of any decay was unknown. The tomograph undertaken last summer indicated considerable decay:

The cross section post felling helps to show just how accurate the Arbotom is when measuring the structural integrity of stem sections.

Horse Chestnut

On the same site, a Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hipposcastanum) also saw healthy in the crown.

However, it also had a similar bark discolouration on the butt. Again I found those small black crusty structures typical of the mature fruit bodies of Kretschmaria deusta.

And again the Arbotom’s tomograph suggested extensive decay:

… and the cross-section of the felled stem confirms the accuracy of the Arbotom.