decay detection, weapon of choice?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

you are getting older, your bills are increasing so you need to find another way of earning some money. this doesnt mean everyone else is blind tony.

 

Maybe not blind but honestly am i bothered about what THEY would do in my shoes, or their idea of whats viable financialy etc, that is a business descision only I can make.

 

I was asking not wether I should or should not buy and why.

 

But what everyone else uses and why, so that I can make a more informed choice. the picus is a costly bit of kit I see little return on, wheras fracto is 17oo quid and many times more useful in terms of info gainded, unless somone has something to elaborate on that statement?

[arb culture]

An example of sods law Earlier in this thread I confidently said that in the last three years I haven't needed anything other than a hammer and a probe and my own experience/knowledge to asses trees.

 

No sooner had I said that than I visited a site with some very high value beech in a frequently visited area with slightly thin crowns and minor die-back. One or two also have decay fungi at the base (Kretschmaria and Ganoderma sp. - not sure which) and all have been subject to compaction from landscaping/development.

 

Hammer not revealing any signs of decay and there's no holes to probe.

 

Trouble is, I need to know if the thin crown is due to compaction (ie the trees probably won't fall over for a while yet) or whether it's due to massive root decay (ie trees might very well fall over).

 

I know what I've recommended, but what would others suggest for assessing the decay on these things?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

An example of sods law Earlier in this thread I confidently said that in the last three years I haven't needed anything other than a hammer and a probe and my own experience/knowledge to asses trees.

 

No sooner had I said that than I visited a site with some very high value beech in a frequently visited area with slightly thin crowns and minor die-back. One or two also have decay fungi at the base (Kretschmaria and Ganoderma sp. - not sure which) and all have been subject to compaction from landscaping/development.

 

Hammer not revealing any signs of decay and there's no holes to probe.

 

Trouble is, I need to know if the thin crown is due to compaction (ie the trees probably won't fall over for a while yet) or whether it's due to massive root decay (ie trees might very well fall over).

 

I know what I've recommended, but what would others suggest for assessing the decay on these things?

 

MMmmm..... funny that aint it!

[ben lightfoot]

If your suggesting root decay then i wouldn't have thought picus or fractometer would be much use unless decay was so severe it was heading up the main stem? maybe worth digging around the buttresses, dont mean to sound like im telling you how to suck eggs

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

well the beauty of the coring/boring/drilling techniques and that includes resisto graph is that you CAN drill down ward into roots and butt to get the below ground decay.

[slack ma girdle]

A pointy stick, always available, and free. Can also be used for toasting lunch items, and tying onto the climbers rope to annoy him

[czhey]

well the beauty of the coring/boring/drilling techniques and that includes resisto graph is that you CAN drill down ward into roots and butt to get the below ground decay.

 

Do you not worry about the effects on tree health from drilling holes in it?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Do you not worry about the effects on tree health from drilling holes in it?

 

I presume your refering to the colonisation of new wood through penetration of barrier zones, rather than merely concerned with drilling into a tree you know already to be "unhealthy"

[czhey]

I presume your refering to the colonisation of new wood through penetration of barrier zones, rather than merely concerned with drilling into a tree you know already to be "unhealthy"

 

Yes. I suppose i meant do you think drilling techniques could ever increase the risk of tree failure (even if the results you get from drilling indicate plenty of 'good' wood)

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I have read a lot of work on this subject, and I am happy that my knowledge of decay fungi will help me evaluate wether it is too risky to drill or within acceptable perameters.

 

I also think i have an idea how we might prevent this spread, but thats a research project that I cant do just yet.

 

Sshwarze and Mattheck have both written pieces on this issue, I will try and find an internet source or link and post them here.