Chicken of the woods?

[Cidermaker]

Hi, I noticed these recently. I've had similar growing on the grass where some sick beech trees used to stand, and now they're growing on the base of one of the remaining trees.

Any ideas? Will it harm the tree? Thanks.

[NickCantle]

Hello,

This looks like Meripilus giganteus to me- it is a parasite of the roots of the tree, so I wouldn't imagine the tree is doing that well. I'm not too clued up on the symbiotic relationships between brackets and trees, but I know some others here will probably help.

Put it this way, I only ever see M. giganteus on dead or dying trees