Rare fungus rears its lovely head in Northern Ireland

The hidden gem, a bracket fungus called oak polypore (Piptoporus quercinus), was discovered by the Woodland Trust at Forest Service’s Belvoir Park Forest in Belfast.

Oak polypore lives exclusively in old oak trees1. Unfortunately, due to loss of habitat, it is in decline in central Europe and is already extinct in many areas of northern Europe.  And in Great Britain, where records are extremely scarce, the species is considered endangered.

Jill Butler, conservation advisor with the Woodland Trust, made the discovery this summer.  It has now been verified by Dr Roy Anderson of the Northern Ireland Fungus Group, who was made aware of the find by Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

Jill says: “This is an absolutely fantastic find – a first for Northern Ireland.

“Oak polypore is associated with important concentrations of ancient and veteran oaks.  It’s fitting that it was found at Belvoir Park Forest, which is lucky enough to boast a significant number of magnificent old oaks.  And this particular one, estimated to be around 500 years old and completely hollow inside, is possibly the oldest tree in Northern Ireland.”

Ancient trees and fungi have a close and mutually beneficial relationship.  Decay fungi like oak polypore depend upon nutrients locked up in the dead heartwood (the inner region) of the tree trunk.  As they colonise the wood it begins to soften, and other creatures such as rare insects are able to eat it.  The wood is broken down further and in the process the tree starts to hollow.  The insects and fungi work together to recycle the dead wood, and nutrients are returned to the soil, providing essential food for the tree.

Jill continues: “Northern Ireland has its share of precious veteran trees, with approximately 3,000 registered on the Trust’s Ancient Tree Hunt website2.  Our oldest trees are the natural equivalent of listed buildings, yet have no automatic form of protection. They’ve stood for hundreds of years, witnessed historic events and are home to many rare and vulnerable species of wildlife. These trees, just like the ancient oaks at Belfast’s Belvoir Park Forest, are natural living monuments that can never be replaced.”

To find out more about the country’s oldest trees, take a look at www.AncientTreeHunt.org.uk 

Ends

Notes to editors 

1 Oak polypore (Piptoporus quercinus) is a rare bracket fungus.  It is one of the few species which is able to live in oak heartwood (heartwood is the non-living, inner region of the tree trunk).  The fungus may appear outwardly through a crevice, giving the appearance of growing on the actual bark.  At Belvoir Park Forest it grows on the decayed heartwood right inside a large hollow trunk.  A large wasp’s nest guarded one of the two fungal fruiting bodies there.

The visible part of the fungus has a smooth upper surface, which is white and feels velvety when young. As it matures the colour changes to pale-yellow and then brown with a white border in mature specimens. Eventually it decays and by mid-winter little remains of the original fungus other than the blackened, desiccated remains.

2 Ancient trees and the Trust’s Ancient Tree Hunt

What is an ancient tree?

An ancient tree is a tree which because of its great age is of exceptional value in the landscape or for wildlife.  Ancient trees are in the third and final stage of their lives. Different species have different life expectancies.  For example, an oak tree may live for 1,000 years or more, yews for 6,000; a birch tree will be ancient at 100 years old and an ash tree at approximately 200 years old.

Generally speaking, the older and fatter a tree is, the more important it is for wildlife.  And where a number of ancient trees are gathered together, the more there are, the more valuable they are for biodiversity.

Some trees may even be as valuable in death as in life.  Their decaying heartwood can linger for many years before it is gradually recycled into the ground.  The old deadwood and hollow centres of ancient trees are extremely important habitats for rare species of fungi and insects.

The Woodland Trust’s Ancient Tree Hunt

The Ancient Tree Hunt is a living database of ancient trees. It started in 2004 as a joint venture with the Tree Register of the British Isles and the Ancient Tree Forum. Over 128,000 hand-picked trees have been recorded across the UK. http://www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk/