Fomitopsis pinicola

The red-banded polypore is primarily a saprophytic wood-decomposing fungus of the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere. Sporadically it may infect also living trees through injuries resulting from timber harvest or deer browsing. The fruiting bodies are perennial and clearly identifiable by their colour). The fungus induces brown red rot, breaking the wood in angular chunks with white felty shreds of mycelium found in the fissures. The control measures include prevention of root, butt or trunk injuries, or immediate treatment of wounds (on the very day they occur). To minimize the infection stress on the woodland it is necessary to remove infected living or dead trees from the site.