Beech branch?

[stevelucocq]

Hi,

 

Just wondering what people’s thoughts are on this large lower branch (11metres). I have slight concerns about the car parking spaces directly under this large branch (I feel there are signs of minor structural weakness and keen to minimise the risk). Consideration was made to remove the wire, carry out a minor reduction on this branch to reduce further horizontal growth and remove the 2 or 3 car parking spaces. Interested in everyone thoughts and any other suggestions.

 

Also the car park was installed on the tree roots 20 years ago and the tree is in good health. The car park gets moderate use and rarely gets full.

 

Thanks for any ideas!

Steve

[combined tree services]

personally i would look at a 10% reduction and remove parking spaces , even though the car's have been parking on the tree roots for many years i still reccomend removing the parking spaces and the tarmac , in my oppinion its never to late for a tree to start suffering due to soil compaction and further root dammage

[Matthew Arnold]

Could that bulge on the upper side of the limb be a symptom of internal stress / fracture?

 

I think it is a sign of internal weakness as the tree is trying to hold the branch up. I was taught that pine trees try n push damaged branches or push their weight up. But dedidous trees try and pull them selves upright if they are leaning. We have a lime with the exact same thing as it has a big lateral which split a few years ago. As its not anywhere near a target it is left to its own devices.

[Ben90]

I think we'd see some serious fibre buckling on the compression side of the limb before stresses on the upper tension side started to bring about cracks or corrective growth. That upper knee could be caused by a bad cut/break or repeated squirrel damage though, hard to tell really.

 

I'm a bit concerned about that wire and how deep in the wood it is, luckily beeches weld themselves together for a past time but I'm curious as to how many years that wire has been there.

 

Union looks like a good'un though, that horizontal growth is a bit excessive compared to the rest of the tree anyway. Remove some end-weight as suggested and dig up a few spaces.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

beech limbs with this clear dip below the union tend to be the ones that suffer from summer drop, the bulge upper side is IMO where an old branch was once removed and a branch collar now ocluded within tension wood.

 

serious fibre buckling never realy occurs in beech without considerable white rot, buckling of beech tends to be a lot more discrete.

 

The "cup" on the upper side of the union needs evaluating for depth and cohesion, suspect it looks worse than it is.

 

Iether way this is a very heavy horizontal limb, but it is a VERY vital tree, and would reduce well and at quiet hard levels if needed.

 

there is an increment strip on the under side at union indicating subsidence stress, and also one at the point where hazard beam stresses would occur, all indicating a need to reduce the lever arm/wieght, standar body language evaluation.

 

remove the targets? reduce the limb if targets can not be eliminated from the drop zone.

Edited November 4, 2010 by Tony Croft aka hamadryad

[alliaria]

I think we can all be a bit precious sometimes, why not reduce to the upright lateral or remove altogether?

[Czlowiek Drzewo]

If in Doubt..cut it out!

[Bundle 2]

I think we can all be a bit precious sometimes, why not reduce to the upright lateral or remove altogether?

 

IMO because the upright encourages only growth that conflicts the "habit" of existing canopy architecture....

And in response to removal...not entirely against but it is a mighty big wound!

[Ian C]

That limb does look suspect and depending on what the owners want to do or are willing to pay for i would simply reduce that limb to a suitable point or remove the limb all together, remove the tarmac and mulch. If the car park isnt that busy a few car parking spaces lost wont make any differance then every ones a winner.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I think we can all be a bit precious sometimes, why not reduce to the upright lateral or remove altogether?

 

because there are already enough old large wounds close to stem union that will further the coelesence and dysfunction within the main limb, this would be rapidly captialised by a wound parasite like Polyporus squamosus on beech, and this would move into the main stem, beginning the end.