Decay in 50 year old oak tree

[Tommy Noddy]

Recently this oak tree outside our house was removed by the power company. Amazingly the branch was almost totally split but had not fallen (onto the power lines and our roof). A lucky escape. I wonder if anyone can tell me what has type of decay has occurred.

The split was concealed by ivy. Many thanks:001_huh:

[Alinicoll]

The branch has split from an included (tight) fork. Included forks are weak areas and are prone to failure. The decay seems fairly superficial to me and unlikely to be a significant factor in the failure in my opinion.

[treeseer]

The branch has split from an included (tight) fork. Included forks are weak areas and are prone to failure. The decay seems fairly superficial to me and unlikely to be a significant factor in the failure in my opinion.

 

 

There wasn't a failure, lucky all around.

[Tommy Noddy]

How would an insurer deal with damage from a tree like this? The tree is only maintained by the power company when they need to clear the lines. Our landlord never gets his trees inspected. Would they have paid for damage to his roof in a situation like this.? I could sympathise with them if they didn't?! After all why should they insure someone who has no interest in maintaining the tree.

[Adam M]

How would an insurer deal with damage from a tree like this? The tree is only maintained by the power company when they need to clear the lines. Our landlord never gets his trees inspected. Would they have paid for damage to his roof in a situation like this.? I could sympathise with them if they didn't?! After all why should they insure someone who has no interest in maintaining the tree.

 

When you say they have no interest in maintaining their trees, what do you imagine this would involve? There isn't much I would want to be done to a 50 year old oak that looked otherwise healthy. Was the defect obvious while the tree was still standing?

 

For a claim to be successful, there would have to be an element of negligence on the behalf of the tree owner. This could be through not inspecting, not noticing an obvious defect, not taking appropriate and timely action to make safe the defect.

Edited February 3, 2014 by Adam M

[Paul Cleaver]

The branch has split from an included (tight) fork. Included forks are weak areas and are prone to failure. The decay seems fairly superficial to me and unlikely to be a significant factor in the failure in my opinion.

 

[JonnyVine]

At a glance the decay looks like K. deusta, hardly superficial by any stretch of the imagination.

[Paul Barton]

At a glance the decay looks like K. deusta, hardly superficial by any stretch of the imagination.

 

I've never seen K. deusta affecting limbs/branches?

[Gary Prentice]

I've never seen K. deusta affecting limbs/branches?

 

You have now. (Apparently ):lol:

[David Humphries]

I've never seen K. deusta affecting limbs/branches?

 

Kretzschmaria deusta associated with this beech pole stub failure from a couple of days ago.

 

 

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