Fungus Growing On Fruitless Mulberry Tree

Question

I have Ganoderma growing on my Fruitless Mulberry. The fungus at the base of the tree is black and growing along the bark; the fungus at the top of the tree is white and growing between the branches. The tree is about 40 years ago and appears to be healthy and strong but I’m afraid it may be rotting from the inside. What should I do?

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Answer 1

I'm more inclined to call this a member of the genus, Fomes.

Though Ganoderma would cause an issue to the tree, since it is a root rotter and less of a heart rotter, Fomes will generally not kill a tree. They eat heart wood, which is pretty well dead, anyway.

Though this won't, directly, kill a tree, it can weaken the structure over time. Once you see fruiting bodies, such as this, it will not be killed off.

Enjoy the tree for the rest of its life, or until it becomes unstable, whichever happens first.

You can make use of Fomes, since most of the genus contains a very powerful antibiotic for deformed-wing virus in bees. It, also, makes a nice natural leather.