Beech fail.

[Rupe]

Went to look at this beech last week. It failed the week before. The main stem has broken off leaving what would have been described as a small side stem, but is now a reasonably large tree attached to a rotten stump!

 

Job was to take down the remaining upright bit and lateral branch.

 

I think if had seen the tree standing I probably would have climbed it, but it failed midday with hardly any wind.

[Rupe]

View from the driveway. The customer had already cut up the fallen bit to clear the drive.

 

Luckily I could rope into the remaining beech behind and work from there.

 

Got some video but probably not best to show it! I didn't lanyard in to the remaining stem at all and just boshed it all down ASAP. The final cuts above the break point were 90% rotten.

[Peter]

Nice!

 

I'd probably have climbed it too, but then the healthiest looking trees are usually the ones that actually fail. The trick is to not climb it on the day that it decides to go over........

[pro bros]

can you tell me why beech do this i hace seen this many times as said on a calm windfree day . can this on healthy trees be a sudden rush of sap making so called hydraulic pressure as i have witnessed this happen in actual fact i asked a scout master to move his tents from under this tree only to return later that day with about half the tree lying and aworried scout (genuine story i swear).

[Rupe]

Not a sudden rush of sap this lat in the year.

 

This tree has been in a bad way for some time, poor fork structure, evidence of a minor branch growing inside the fork, plus storm damage to two major limbs above the break.

 

Why it failed on that day at that time, I don't know. More likely temperature change on top of the fact that its in full leaf (heavy) it was going to go soon but went on the day it got really hot.

 

All Speculation.

[Rupe]

Nice!

 

I'd probably have climbed it too, but then the healthiest looking trees are usually the ones that actually fail. The trick is to not climb it on the day that it decides to go over........

 

And not to lanyard in to remaining feeble bit either!

[janey]

What are the brackets in the first piccy?

[David Humphries]

What are the brackets in the first piccy?

 

 

 

Fomes perhaps?

 

Though it could be the G, any close ups Rupe old boy?

 

 

 

 

 

.

[scotspine1]

I'd say the big G but they could be F.

[Rupe]

There were definatly some ganno wotsits and some other stuff......

 

Sorry about the photos, no battery so turned it on and took a pic, then repeated that 6 times before it wouldn't even come on.