Opinions please?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

It's interesting stuff. I will keep you guys informed come this Tuesday as to John Harraways findings. I just hope the years of coke cans and kebab wrappers people have thrown into the hollow dont effect the results!!

 

 

shall watch with interest.

[Treecreeper1961]

I've never heard of plugs of bark being removed. They usually hammer nails in and use those as the sensors. A few very small holes within the bark is in my eyes a small sacrifice to pay if it means finding out the exact state of decay. Remember this isn't an open parkland where I can leave the tree to break apart gracefully and sit there as a decaying monolith till the end of days. It's in an extremely pedestrianised urban environment where everyones out to sew everyone. By knowing the extent will let me decide on what remedial works to undertake.

 

TC, your right. Sorry, I was, it seems, thinking of the Arbosonic, where bark is removed. My info on the Picus does say they hammer nails through the bark to the wood.

 

This would be less invasive than removing bark I reckon, and certainly less invasive than drilling, making it the preferred decay detection technique, other than thermal imagery and Tree Radar, which may be more expensive I would imagine.

[skyhuck]

it is definately less invasive, as the resistograph has to drill right into the wood to get a reading, which can be a good site for fungal growth.

 

it involves nails being hammered into the cambium so that the sound waves can penetrate and be read properly from each sensor, if a tree i sgetting picused then i would assume that there is already an issue and the matter of some nails knocked in slightly wouldnt cause much more of an issue.

 

My understanding was that the hole is so small that compression within the timber closes it once the drill is removed.

[sloth]

Not heard that before, any reference?

[Stephen Blair]

A good pollard, job done! Leaf minor will be along so the less leaves the better

[T & C Tree Services]

A good pollard, job done! Leaf minor will be along so the less leaves the better

 

Good sound advice!

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Good sound advice!

 

 

he takes a little getting used to, but he is harmless really:lol:

[RobRainford]

My understanding was that the hole is so small that compression within the timber closes it once the drill is removed.

 

The drill leaves a hole approx 4mm, depending on the model of drill used and drill bit selected. , and as its removed the material, I don't think the compression would seal it back up, cuts made with a silky don't close up.

 

It's certainly arguable with the picus as its nails that are being forced in, so there is no material removed, it's just squashed so the timber could close that gap easier.

[skyhuck]

The drill leaves a hole approx 4mm, depending on the model of drill used and drill bit selected. , and as its removed the material, I don't think the compression would seal it back up, cuts made with a silky don't close up.

 

It's certainly arguable with the picus as its nails that are being forced in, so there is no material removed, it's just squashed so the timber could close that gap easier.

 

They do.

[Marc]

In the grand scheme of things given the gaping cavity and urban environment (as in I bet things get nailed to it amongst other damage to the stem) that some some low impact invasive decay testing is going to do more good than harm in the long run, after all that tree is just a history of wounding evident by the cavity and previous pruning.