Incidence of slime flux in deciduous trees of Southern Ontario

Abstract

Slime flux involves exudations from wounds or cracks of trees resulting in light or dark streaks down the trunk and the viscous exudates may be thick enough to form a layer on the bark (Sinclair and Lyon 2005). Slime flux may be considered an aesthetic and sometimes an odiferous nuisance, but does not harm the tree. The exudates result from a bacterial presence inside the tree called wetwood, which is described as waterlogged wood tissue, with alkaline pH levels and a microfauna of bacteria (Sinclair and Lyon 2005). Wetwood is considered a natural occurrence, and is not considered detrimental to tree health, although its presence decreases the value of lumber because the waterlogged tissue takes longer to dry and may dry unevenly leading to checking (Sinclair and Lyon 2005). Only when wetwood occurs in the outer living sapwood is it considered pathogenic (Murdoch and Campana 1983).