QuestionI took a bunch of cut white birch branches from a neighbor, some three to four feet in length. I am now noticing black raised areas on the bark on about half of them; it has been about 3-4 weeks since I first took the branches.
What might this be and should these branches be put out for trash or can they be brought inside my house which is what I wanted to do with them, use them as decorative accents in a basket in the corner of my room. Can the raised black areas be removed by scrubbing?
AnswerSounds like the fruiting bodies of one of the many decay fungi that begin working when a limb is dead. These fungi need warmth, moisture, and a food supply to grow. When you bring them inside the moisture is not available enough for them to grow and the branches will be fine/. You really can not get these off without usually taking off some of the bark. I would not worry about them--BUT if you do not like the looks of them on the branch cut some more branches and move them into the house where the humidity is low and the black will not grow. Either way these will not be a problem.
