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Fatal Root Rot in Poplar: Bark Decay and Trunk Instability

A 50-foot poplar with thinning canopy, half-size leaves, bark rot at the base, and trunk movement in wind has fatal root rot. Fungi/bacteria in the phloem cut off nutrients; roots rot and lose anchoring. The tree is effectively dead.

Reality Check

No treatment reverses advanced root rot with trunk instability.
Tree poses a fall hazard; schedule removal.
Replant with a disease-resistant species in well-drained soil.

Early signs (thinning, small leaves) appear years before collapse; intervention then might help.

Plant Diseases: Grey-White Circles on Lilac Trunk: Need Photo for Identification; Oak Tree Bark Sloughing with Gray Fungus After Drought: Hypoxylon Canker—Tree Must Be Removed; Mature Poplar Progressive Decline: Internal Decay Management; Fungus on Fig Tree Trunk: Wood Decay Warning; Managing Poplar Suckers: Let One Grow, Skip Root Cutting, and Accept Shade-Tolerant Groundcovers; Poplar Root Suckers in Lawn: Can You Cut Roots Without Killing the Tree?; Mystery Blob at Mulberry Base: Fungus or Harmless Slime Mold?; Poplar Root Suckers: To Separate or Not?; Gray Fungus on Large Trees: Lichens, Not a Disease; Disc Fungus on Tulip Poplar Stump: Decay Fungi Fruiting Bodies

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