Rigging? Maybe not.

[tockmal]

The following photos are of a Walnut removal and what decisions led us not to perform any rigging on this tree.

 

The Walnut is in the foreground (twinned stemmed), behind it, is a smaller Hornbeam. The Walnut is between 45 and 50ft tall with 2 large stems forming the main structure of the tree.

 

[tockmal]

On closer inspection you can see a large area of wound wood surrounding a small cavity at the base of the tree - with what looks like a fungal fruiting body inside....

 

[tockmal]

The inside of the cavity -

 

Heterobasidion fruiting bodies -

 

 

[tockmal]

The other side of the stem we find another wound with evidence of Honey Fungus(Armillaria)

 

....with what looks like the start of another Heterobasidion mushroom (white)-

 

[tockmal]

Further up from the wound with the Honey Fungus you can see another large wound at the union of the 2 main stems - an obvious structural defect.

 

 

[tockmal]

We made the decision that using rigging techniques on this tree was not an option - as applying any excessive loading on either of the two main stems could result in total failure of the tree.

 

We did however feel it was safe to climb providing branches were cut small to avoid shock loading of the stems. We were lucky in that the understorey of the tree was relatively clear with a road on one side and large overgrown rhododendrons on the other.

 

If, however there had been more obvious targets (house) under the tree, we would have used either a mobile platform truck or a crane.

 

This last photo shows the tree midway through the distmantle...

 

[Paul Barton]

Cool, thanks Tockmal. Great to have all the pics and decision processes explained.

[tockmal]

As a climber I sometimes find it difficult to decide wether a tree is safe to climb or not, having climbed many dangerous trees in the past, particularly dead elms......I've become very wary of arriving at a job and just bolting up the tree without thinking about it like I used to when I first started climbing.

 

I've also done many removals using a bucket truck/mewp. I prefer to use this method whenever there is obvious structural defects both visible and suspected like rotten roots etc.

 

There is an issue with new climbers and their employers sending them up dangerous trees without the necessary experience. It happened to me many times - before I started to read up on structural defects and decay fungi etc.

 

How do you make your decision on wether a tree is safe to climb or not?

[Amelanchier]

For me pre-climb inspection overrides anything. Its the most up to date inspection. Bar none.

 

Having said that, self-education in this industry is self-preservation. Very easy on a tight timeframe to just look into the nettles from a distance and then set a line. That union looked pretty shady however.

 

Nice shots. Any of the cross section of the basal wound? How did you identify the brackets as H. annosum? I hate pinning down those young fruiting bodies. Was it the spores?

 

I'm only asking as I've never seen it on walnut and its good to become familiar with these sort of uncommon combinations.

[Steve Bullman]

nice work Tim......would have approached it the same myself.....i rarely rig off unless its the only option anyway