To top or not to top.

[David Humphries]

Now (given recent threads) this is a pertinent question.

 

Here's a Fagus full of vitality, but handicapped by previous storm damage and currently Ganoderma'd up to the eyeballs.

 

The decay pockets are at mid trunk and butress levels.

Tree is situated next to, but leaning away from a path, and in towards woodland.

 

My concern was not allowing this hunk of timber to fail at the trunk and come crashing down on to the target zone.

 

Hence the major .........."reduction"

 

The madness behind my method is not only my penchant for retaining monoliths, but also the fact that this Tree is appearing to retrench naturally even to the extent that it is suckering from roots, (5th picture) which in my experience is almost unheard of for this species.

 

So here's the befores and the following post is the during and after bits.

 

enjoy, deride, agree, criticise.

Whatever takes your fancy.

[David Humphries]

The middle bits.

Made the decision to use Nelly instead of rope access, because Mr Huck................ we could.

 

And just for you MB, there's even a few "raggedy cuts" especially for you to drool/pontificate over.

 

Appologies for picture quality, it peed down all day.

[David Humphries]

To finish up, the before and after shots

[David Humphries]

 

So here's the befores and the following post is the during and after bits.

 

enjoy, deride, agree, criticise.

Whatever takes your fancy.

 

Whoops what a silly billy, the first pictures did not load.

[MasterBlaster]

That's some awesome British treework.

[Steve Bullman]

what would you suggest be done with it if not felled mb?

[Husqvarna King]

i'd have felled it too!!!! all that fannying around - wasting firewood!!

[MasterBlaster]

what would you suggest be done with it if not felled mb?

 

The least I woulda done woulda been give it a proper, unnoticeable cut, and I woulda done it a bit higher.

[Ross Smith]

The least I woulda done woulda been give it a proper, unnoticeable cut, and I woulda done it a bit higher.

whats the location of the tree i.e public footpaths blah blah

[Dean Lofthouse]

I'd of cut it here.