In article , Nick Maclaren
writes
| I was thinking more about from what the tree died than with what it had
| been treated. Fungal spores can live on in decaying material for ages.

Ah. Sorry for misunderstanding you.

But that does make any more sense. Fungi don't produce spores
from mycelium, but only from fruiting bodies, and the spores are
almost always distributed by the wind. So, if the fungi did
sporulate, the spores will be all over the garden anyway - which
is the normal state, and why most of the isolation approaches to
fungal containment are such scientific nonsense.

As far as the mycelium goes, you CAN transfer it like that, but it
is pretty rare for a pathogenic fungus to transfer except more or
less by direct root contact. The chance of it surviving in a
compost heap and then infecting plants is very small indeed - if
he DOES have such a fungal infection, we can expect an epidemic
shortly ....

Thank you for the further details. I referred to fungal spores, but
trees may contract many other diseases as well as fungal. As you have
already mentioned, those which die will often have been treated with
substances not conducive to healthy organic compost making, in however
small quantities. As I follow organic gardening principles, I don't use
diseased or rotted parts of tress for compost making and I advise others
accordingly. By the same token I don't use diseased herbage such as e.g.
blighted potato haulms or club-root infected brassicas etc. in
composting. It just seems a commonsense approach to me.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.