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From that angle the lower branches hide the rear stem..? Heres some other pics of it. The rigged video was the right stem above where the green rope anchors.

I use a tow hitch adaptor on the front pintle of my tractor to run an electric winch. With a cheap wireless remote it's fantastic and I can fit muck forks to the loader to anchor into the ground if desired

That's right, when standing and green it is unpalatable to animals but dried mixed in with forage it gets eaten.

I'd have put money on Mick saying that. Robocop on hold btw. Finishing season seven of King of the Hill first, I tell you hwat.

I doubt it’s been topped, no rot pocket in the crown break. It’s been overlifted/thinned. It is reduceable if they want to keep it. have to go back to live growth on one of these.

Yes that is how they keep them in an area, I thought it was a sound that they associated with the shock but don't know.

You're a talented photographer because that looks tiny compared to how big it looks in the video in your learning rigging thread.

Just as sime42 said, sadly. The decay/cavity points are only likely to get worse, even in the shorter term, regardless of any pruning work/costs? If the tree is felled, there will doubtless be some future stump regrowth, from which a single leader could be selected? Or inspire your customer, by making some good replacement tree suggestions, with nice photos -and the offer of free firewood for their stove, or friends? Most domestic customers seem comfortable with medium/longer term suggestions, if well presented, in my experience.

Down. Even without the rot you've found, they've got a short life anyway. Quick livers and quick diers, pioneer species. They usually get to about 14" and then snap off or die. That's how I soften the blow to a client. Right then. Rig with mother. How are you going to do it?

I have just been told by a farming mate that the GPS trackers on the cattle on Harting Down are a little bit more than just trackers . With a PC and mapping you can set up a virtual fence line . If they get within 20m of it they get a small tingle if they get within 10m they get a bigger shock and hopefully turn away .

The relatively large lime that I started dismantling a week ago, "small job" for a friend. I've been doing it it half day at a time as I havent felt like doing early starts recently! I was intending to fell the stem, which was too wide for my bar. Due to the rubbish and poor escape route I opted to cut the sides narrower so It could be done from one side. I then discovered it were hollow and I wouldnt get a proper hinge in the direction of lean. Its a heavy lump, so that only left chogging it down in small peices using spikes and a ladder. Currently looks like this, with the stump to come down as low as possible and all the logs cut smaller for firewood, except the two large arch sections that they want as garden furniture. Going back after lunch and should finish it today.

Thanks very helpful replies. Its a beautiful tree and amazing to watch in the wind. Yes birch do seem to have poor barriers to decay. There is another very old wound further down that goes in quite a way filled with frass/ soil although doesnt seem to have soft rot in the surrounding wood. I imagine I know the answer, but is there any chemical or other treatment to make conditions unfavourable for the soft rot fungus, without also killing the tree?

As above, I always just start by giving the carb a clean, remove and clean needle valve and just replacing the diaphragms and pump. I check that the fuel inlet pipe will hold light pressure and vacuum. Generally this is all they need and I don't go any deeper into welch plugs etc. I've had some that still leak and then its a case of finding the leak.

I would be saying that in my opinion decay will spread into the trunk, may be safe for years, decades even, but for reasons you state will be expensive to fell if left till no one wants to climb it. The top cuts on reductions often rot down inside to form rot pockets a foot deep. With the limb I would have suggested leaving a 6ft or more stub, contary to arb and BS practice, but that way the rot would take years to reach the trunk. Only on birch. Ash, sycamore etc that cut would probably occlude within say 5 to 7 years. Birch is diffuse porous v most UK hardwoods that are ring porous. Not a decay expert, but from memory the books do talk about the differences in susceptibility to decay of the two structures

I think you've answered your own question. It needs to be taken out ideally. You could at the very least, reduce it heavily, but as said Birches hate being hacked so it'd only be postponing the inevitable. Too big a tree for a small garden anyway. Replace with a Mulberry or a Clerodendrum maybe.

Please drop on driveway close to the garage door opening whilst still allowing access to garage. Call for more details. Thank you

This tree is in a relatively small garden and grows over the two neighbouring gardens. At a few meters up it splits into 5 or more stems, I assume it may have been topped when it was young. Its a nice tree but in the wrong place. I recently suggested to the owner that it is reduced quite hard, 30-50% off the upper canopy but to leave the lower as is. Before stepping up into the union I noticed some bare cambium and reaction wood growth? Theres been strong winds recently. In Nov 23' I removed quite a large low branch that was going across to the neighbours. He was aware that large cuts on birch are not ideal. We noticed it did not seem to be callousing and had a brown weep, so I went up to inspect it. My original cut was not quite to the branch collar but it has been callousing all around hidden under the bark, it was a steeper angle so I trimmed the stub back. I got a face full of wet vomit-like soft rotting wood chips. If the soft rot progresses I think it will not take long to compromise the 5 way union which is not far above. I am unsure to suggest complete removal and to replant something else. If it became unsafe to climb, a mewp would not be able to get anywhere close and would need to be a large skylift type that can span 4 gardens from the road, if it could even fit down the road, at greatly increased expense. Should it be removed or reduced and how much?

Yip BandS Fuel Fit for me as well, been using it for about 10 years in my small engines, it isn’t the total cure all but it certainly helps hugely.

Current thinking on ragwort is that it's much less of a problem as a live standing plant; it's dangerous when dried and hiding in a hay bale

I've used B&S Fuel fit in my splitter with E10 fuel for about five years and it's not had any problems despite being stood for a few months sometimes. What problems has it caused you Tree Monkey ? Is the Ethanol Shield any better? I use Aspen or Stihl fuel in my saws with good results.

Wordle 1,572 3/6* ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

What you've done is air layering, a common method to make a new independant from a branch of an established tree. It tells me your graft may not have taken. If nutrients are not getting down to the roots it will encourage root growth at the end of the cambium where its been ringed. If the graft was successful, the roots may be a secondary result of it being covered. I'd suggest carefully snip off the new root growth and check the graft and leave it uncovered.

Cynical but worth consideration. Though I read somewhere that people were getting sick from drinking contaminated milk from cows that'd been eating bracken. Don't know if that applies to the meat as well.

I was told similar about ragwort, that it was more significant in breeding cattle and horses because it took longer to have effect.