Conifer butt rot; conifer root rot; Fomes root rot
Fir, larch, pine, spruce, and other conifers.
Beech, hawthorn, and more rarely other broadleaved species.
Found at the base of the host tree and on buttress roots. Also found on stumps.
Perennial. Tough and woody. Usually an undulating reddish-brown top (can blacken with age or become algal-stained) with a near-white pore layer that bruises a soft skin pink. Underside can exude water droplets. Surface glistens when wet. Cream white spore. White flesh. Sometimes rimmed white. Considered a species complex.
Fomitopsis pinicola; Ganoderma australe (brown spore).
Attributed with a selective white rot of wood that eventually causes cavity formation. Parasitic upon living trees – can propagate via root-to-root contact. When found on trees with targets beneath / in falling distance, investigations into the stability of the tree may be required. Entire removal (including of the stump) may be needed, where biosecurity measures are paramount (commercial forestry).