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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.

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.

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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.

Perhaps it wouldn't be a concern in a commercial beef herd: the abattoir would get the beasts at 18-30 months before the cancer did. Just a cynical thought.

Morning all, Had a really productive day yesterday. Felled a row of conifers, dissecting round a climbing rose, then used branches and three trunks to make a trellis for it. Crown cleaned a lime. Not sure about today, maybe rain, maybe get more done. Stay safe all.

It is and most cattle won't eat it, which is why the trampling was referred to. There were liver cancers found after people had been eating it in Japan and even Wales during WW2 IIRC.

I remember the Malthusian prophecy from GCSE geography!

Morning, nice fresh day here. Physio then off to sort out storm damage. Stay safe guys.

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Never had brings and Stratton fuel fit work, try aspen or moto mix if your storing stuff,cant stand gammy carb shite and shite fuel today.

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...or maybe not... ScienceDirect WWW.SCIENCEDIRECT.COM

In my brief farming life many years ago we were told by stock men that bracken was carcinogenic and under no circumstances should stock be allowed to eat it. Looks like that was rustic myth then...

@nepia Yes I have, however after several years travel from Dorking to Bracknell via the dogs dinner at lightwater the place still gives me the shivers as a morning bottleneck, mayhem. On the return I'll probably M40, M404,M4, A329 then cross country through Knaphill etc.

@Bob_z_l Have you thought of M25, M3, A322 to Bracknell, A329M to M4, M4 to A34, A34 to Oxon?

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Good Morning Off to Oxfordshire on an away-day M25 M40, oh Joy. Won't have much time on the tools. have a good Hump-day.

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