THE Duke of Edinburgh has been warned that his decision to fell the 275-year-old oaks along Queen Anne鈥檚 Drive in Windsor Great Park would destroy one of only four trees in Britain that harbours the rare bracket fungus Phellinus robustus.
The British Mycological Society is appealing to the Duke 鈥渢o halt felling work on this unique avenue鈥�. As Ranger of Windsor Great Park, the Duke is responsible for the avenue鈥檚 upkeep.
Hard-bracket fungi live on dead heartwood and only enter trees late in their lives. P. robustus is especially slow to develop and so is found only on trees that are 鈥渁t least a few hundred years old鈥�, says Maurice Rotheroe, Deputy Conservation Officer of the BMS.
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These trees are becoming increasingly scarce, and P. robustus is on Britain鈥檚 Red Data List of endangered fungi. It only occurs in Britain on one other tree at Windsor, a tree in the New Forest and another in North Yorkshire. 鈥淭he felling of oaks in Queen Anne鈥檚 Drive will therefore result in the destruction of one quarter of the British population of this species,鈥� says Rotheroe.