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Advice on Ash Tree


lux
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Dear All.

 

Looking for some thoughts from other learned colleagues on here about bark splitting

 

I’m back working at a regular customers soon and we have been monitoring a mature ash at the bottom of the drive.

It has minimal signs of Die back so that’s not a real concern

It has what may well be a historical lightening strike damage low down but this has occluded well

There are a number of large splits in the bark on major limbs and unions. The type I would usually attribute to sharp temperature changes or similar

I’m giving some thought to a long term , 10 yrs plus type management plan on the tree. Possibly starting with some light reduction work to reduce weight and sail area etc.

 

I’d be grateful for other opinions on the splits in the bark as a health issue to the tree.

 

Cheers all. IMG_4683.jpgIMG_4686.jpgIMG_4684.jpgIMG_4685.jpg

 

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3 hours ago, lux said:

 

Dear All.

 

Looking for some thoughts from other learned colleagues on here about bark splitting

 

I’m back working at a regular customers soon and we have been monitoring a mature ash at the bottom of the drive.

It has minimal signs of Die back so that’s not a real concern

It has what may well be a historical lightening strike damage low down but this has occluded well

There are a number of large splits in the bark on major limbs and unions. The type I would usually attribute to sharp temperature changes or similar

I’m giving some thought to a long term , 10 yrs plus type management plan on the tree. Possibly starting with some light reduction work to reduce weight and sail area etc.

 

I’d be grateful for other opinions on the splits in the bark as a health issue to the tree.

 

Cheers all. IMG_4683.jpgIMG_4686.jpgIMG_4684.jpgIMG_4685.jpg

 

 

Forgive me as this is not my area of expertise, but as it is very likely this tree will fall victim to Ash Dieback at some point over the coming months or year or two is it really worth trying to save? 

 

If it has a question mark over it and is already starting to show dieback signs why not just accept the inevitable?

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 If it is showing signs of ash die back then it's days are numbered anyway, so a 10 year management plan will probably be a fell it next year. 

 

Once it is infected, I am refusing to do any works on ash trees other than felling (or crown removal leaving stem for habitat). This might not be the best approach, but after working an felling trees with severe decline, I rapidly came to the conclusion that the sooner they are removed post infection the safer and easier.

 

 

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Yup, very worrying bark fissures plus decay columns in trunk from old pruning wounds = fell within 12 months /  Habitat column if area will require or support retention. K

Edited by Khriss
( keep eye out for fungal brackets forming at this yearly point)
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Yup, very worrying bark fissures plus decay columns in trunk from old pruning wounds = fell within 12 months /  Habitat column if area will require or support retention. K

The crown is in pretty reasonable shape. No die back to speak of. I would expect to see the crown in poor shape before the large limbs show problems so I’m not convinced the bark fissures are chalara related. However they are a concern. If it’s a dismantle the trunk is to be carved and remain.
Not too worried about the column of decay lower down its occluded well and small in size compared to the live wood so not an urgent risk.

As someone else mentioned canker , I usually associate it with lesions / bleeds not long fissures circa 12ft long ?

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@lux   dont mention that to Mr J Barrell!   He is very hot on old occluded broadleaf trunk wounds!  ( AA AGM last year at Brooklands motor museum lecture) depending on yr position in this job,  client, location in UK,  contractor or other, i think a prompt plan required, rather that letting it sit fr a few years.  K

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So what’s the précis of his observations on decay columns ? How does it fit with Codit etc ? We all see and work on trees with occluded wounds all the time. Plenty of them standing year after year in good health.
Would there be a relationship between the column of decay and the long splits in the bark elsewhere? the splits aren’t a recognised symptom of die back , particularly in a tree with a reasonably healthy crown. The client doesn’t want to see the tree removed if possible so I will most likely recommend a picus or similar and go from there. I’m not sure the splits are related to the decay but on the other hand I don’t really know what has caused them. Similar to the sort of thing you see if a tree has some rapid growth etc but I’m certainly no expert in diseases in trees. .. I just make em smaller or get em gone ... I certainly don’t carry any indemnity to advise on their health.

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6 hours ago, Pete Mctree said:

 If it is showing signs of ash die back then it's days are numbered anyway, so a 10 year management plan will probably be a fell it next year. 

 

Once it is infected, I am refusing to do any works on ash trees other than felling (or crown removal leaving stem for habitat). This might not be the best approach, but after working an felling trees with severe decline, I rapidly came to the conclusion that the sooner they are removed post infection the safer and easier.

 

 

This .

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