white soil under my dying hedge

Anything in the clumps of white soil - old wood, decayed wood? and is the white some kind of fungus, or powdery? It looks like decayed material, and fungus development is one of the things that break down dead matter. in terms of your dying hedge, did you notice any honey coloured toadstools growing last autumn nearby?

Honey fungus was my first thought when I answered Davine's previous question, Bamboo. I'm even more convinced now I've seen this.
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i did not notice toadstools, but i did not look , so they probably were there, anyway, what do i do to make the soil safe again? i have surruonding hedges within inches of the "fungus" and are not affected, but have white powder around there trunks, can i save them? i really need to clear/disinfect the soil so i can use again... is there something out on the market in the UK i can buy, and should i replace the dead hedge with new crop of hedges ? if not when would it be safe to do this?

Wouldnt be huney fungus from white powder. Dig around to see if you can find black 'shoelaces'- then thats honey fungus. Peeel back some of the dead bark and look for any unusual signs. Black lace HF but could be one of many fungi

Nicky's right, honey fungus produces black bootlace type growths in the soil. The fungus you've got might just be because your hedge is very old and dying - fungus, all kinds, is one of the ways nature breaks down wood when its dead or dying.