So while cleaning the yamadori Pseudotsuga menziesii collected in 2018 I see black fungus on the branches that have died back. Is this natural and does it do harm to the tree? I have cleaned and treated the foliage with Daconil. I have attached a few photos.
Did the die back occur when the black fungus appeared or has the fungus appeared afterwards?
If afterwards then I think it may be a natural decaying process.
Is the black fungus spreading to the live parts of the tree?
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pretty much on the dead branches… was collected in 2018 and I have had it only two months. Thank you very much for responding. Anybody else have Doug fir that has this kind of decay? The fungicide use is probably me treating my fear of losing another collected tree as well as treating any disease. Is my fear of loss appropriate in this situation?
Hi Bob, using fungicide certainly won’t harm the tree. If it occurred after the branch died then I think you’re pretty safe. Are there any markings or indications on the foliage. I can’t tell from the phots if there is any problem there or not. Can you see if there has been normal growth this year on the tree such as newer needles etc?
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I’ve just had a thought. Has the tree been infected with aphids at all? If yes the black mold could be something as simple as ‘sooty mold’ which easily scrubs off with gentle soapy water.
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There is new growth on every branch! Some have bifurcated or trifurcated! I hope to get it super healthy in the grow box and start to give some structure to the branches and movement in the trunk. I have cleaned out suckers and crotch growth and will fertilize into the fall. Some dried sap on several branches concerns me. Maybe old injury or borer? I see no fresh sawdust or entry wounds. I lost a smaller Doug fir this spring, so I am learning the hard way. Thank you for responding. 
I think the fact it’s growing so well tells us the black mold isn’t affecting it too much, something to keep an eye on. It sounds like old wounds rather than a borer, thank goodness! Unfortunately losing trees is something we all suffer from time to time. Some through school boy errors and some through no fault of our own. It’s disheartening but we move on to our next victim pretty quickly 
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