In article . com,
landscapeadvice wrote:
penance! I have just heard that the forestry commission beleive it is
not anything to do with Sudden oak Death SOD, however they are still
going to investigate it. I would like to show the photos at a later
date and report back on the result. Thankyou for your interest in this
puzzling subject of which I have limited knowledge . Steve.

The symptoms you describe are very common indications of fungal
infestation. As I implied, whether the colour is the mycelium
or due to chemicals released by the mycelium reacting with the
wood, or something even more complex, is beyond my knowledge.
If the Forestry Commision are investigating, they will know that,
and will be interested in finding out WHICH fungus (or whatever).

Note that the symptoms of infection by fungi, slime moulds and
bacteria can be indistinguishable, though the organisms are much
less closely related than we are to flatworms. So it would not
amaze me to discover that it was not fungal, but bacterial.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.