What you're seeing is the fruiting bodies of well established fungi within the rotting trunk.

Another example of a 'Fast growing Tree' with very soft wood and a 50-60 year life span.

Yours has most likely exceeded that span and has now been in decline for some time.

Have you planted a replacement in the area yet?

mine does the same thing.. and luckily its 50 feet from the house .. and 30 feet from the barn ...

ken

Ok, let’s try again.......

smiivies, will the fungi eventually kill the tree?

bill, let me post some other pics...... I wish I had room to plant another tree.....I have a small backyard. Let me post some other pics to show what a tight place it’s in. I think the tree is maybe 85 years old + or -

ken, you are lucky yours is so far from your house and barn..... me, I’m a city girl so no barn, only a garage.......... lol

pics next

driveway/alley shot; fence, roof and house are my neighbors

See how it has overgrown the driveway edge

half of my backyard

tree extensions over my neighbors garage

Rot generally doesn't kill the tree, it only consumes the wood that's already dead although it can run rampant once it gets a start.

But I've never seen a box elder that I liked. So don't get me started.... :-)

If it were mine, it would've been gone several years ago and I'd have a nice start on a legacy tree or at least something with a longer life expectancy and better wood or at least nice to look at.

Bill, I know this type tree is not well liked, but I inherited the tree and until last year it provided the shade for my backyard hostas. I have my Limelight Hydrangea tree which I love. I have read that because the Box Elders are sucker trees that they’re nearly impossible to get rid of. Not to mention the HUGE cost of having it done. I am making sure I stay on top of dangerous branches. I even had a couple overhanging my neighbors yard cut down. Most of the tree is overhanging their garage at this point, but they like the tree for the shade it provides their yard.

debra

A tree with heartwood rot - which is what the bracket fungi indicate - can live for decades. But their structural integrity is compromised so they tend to be increasingly prone to limb breakage and falling parts as the years go by.

Just something you should be aware of considering proximity to neighbor's garage........

Debra,

Don't let me talk you into anything. It's your tree and you can do what want. :-)

I used to work cutting trees in the woods, box elders grew quite large but every one of them had issues. Rotten wood that swirled up inside a good percentage of the trunk, rotten branches etc. We always just cut them down, limbed them enough to get them out of the way and just left them lay. Then continued on to the valuable trees.

I would almost bet that your tree has a trunk that is less than 50% healthy/solid. Only a certified arborist inspecting on site could say for sure but it might be a good idea to have one out to take a look.

A tree like yours may go for another decade or so, the trouble comes when a strong storm hits and the entire tree breaks off and falls in the wrong direction.

eta: The root system on trees like this are generally compromised as bad as the rest of the wood bc the rot goes down into the ground also.

Garage getting crushed in the middle of the night, not so bad. A house? That's a different story.

Hope things go well. ;-)