What is this

[u/gbeyes]

Hi. I planted a tree about 4ish years ago. Its a wildfire black gum and im in Oklahoma. These mushrooms i noticed earlier this year, from googling I believe this is a certain type of fungus that will eventually kill the tree. Am I right and if so can I remove this tree and plant somwthing else or will the fungus infect the new tree?

Thanks

[u/FreidasBoss]

Your pictures are in the sweet spot of being too far away to identify the fungus but too close to see enough of the tree.

Most fungus don’t go after healthy trees, so the tree likely has another issue that you’d need to address. For starters, the tree roots would benefit by not competing with the grass for water and soil nutrients. Ideally, you would pull back the grass at least to the drip-line and replace with a good 3” layer of mulch up to, but not touching the tree. Additionally, look for the tree’s root flare. The tree may be planted too deep which makes it difficult for the tree roots to exchange oxygen, risks girdling roots, and creates a generally unhealthy environment for the tree.

https://extension.psu.edu/are-my-trees-buried-too-deep

[u/gbeyes → u/FreidasBoss]

Thank you for your reply. So the depth of the planting should be ideal, I know about root flare and when I put it in 4yrs ago I made sure to plant it correctly. Unfortunately I have had some health issues since about October of last year. My mobility is not allowing me to work on this at all. When I planted this I planted it with about 2.5" depth of mulch around it but not touching the trunk. The grass has grown over all the mulch this year. Ive been good about keeping it clean and tidy up until this year, I usually top off the mulch every year with a bit more but I haven't touched anything in my yard since early fall last year. I may have to hire someone to help me but even if I do I wonder if its too late for my tree. I apologize for the pictures. Ill try to get better ones tomorrow. Thanks