I took down a sickly Japanese Maple tree last weekend & was puzzled by the coloration on the inside. Is this the normal color for a JM or is this some fungal or viral disease? I'm usually planting trees, not taking them down, so I was unsure what might be going on.
Thanks,
Pat H.
Yes, it has some sort of (probably fungal) decay in the heartwood there (central brown area), which looks as if it has turned pathogenic and attacked the live sapwood (brown stain to top right). The exact species of the disease can't be identified from the pic though.
Resin
Thanks, Resin! My sister was going to keep ot foro firewood, but I discouraged that-- since I didn't know what it was, I didn't know how it might spread.
Pat
Should be OK as firewood, that won't spread it. Drying the wood will kill the fungus. But if you do saw it up, clean the saw blade before using it for any other pruning work.
Resin
Gotcha--thanks!
Pat
