Split Beech MEWP Dismantle

[Big 'Ammer]

Some pictures of a beech tree I was called out to on Monday evening.

 

The owner had been away on holiday and on returning had noticed a crack had appeared in the tree.

 

There was a crack in the main fork at about 2m down to the base, the fork was included and there were two large fungal fruit bodies at the other side.

 

I think they are Fomes fomentarius, but I have not seen that one before and may well be wrong.

 

Hopefully the forum fun-guys will put us right.

 

We went the next morning to secure it with some ratchet straps.

 

It wasn't that windy, but you could get your fist in the crack and it was opening and closing by a couple of inches.

 

I have little doubt that if we had not strapped up the tree it would have failed before we could have got started on it.

 

TPO'd tree, so onto the LA with our intention to remove promptly.

 

The forecast for Wednesday was atrocious and it it turned out to be correct, so Thursday was planned for the removal.

 

Not that big a tree, but the location was awkward with more than half the canopy over a one-way street junction with parking spaces and a lot of pedestrian traffic with a busy chemist and doctors surgery at the other side of the road.

 

Underneath, a listed wall and in the garden paths and borders with tile rope edging that the owner was keen for us to avoid.

 

Once we had cars shifted and traffic management in place it was a careful cut and chuck dismantle, periodically twitching all the straps up as weight was removed.

 

A bit faffy with the timber, as there was little drop zone for the rope edge tiles.

 

Rigged three larger bits of timber over the wall and then pulled some bigger sections off with a tag line, removing a strap at a time from the top down.

 

Left two straps in to keep the two halves together, then felled it with a pull and a lot of wedges to lift it up.

 

There was hardly any sound wood to make a hinge and hollow and nail riddled to boot.

 

Anyway, got it down safely without incident.

 

Stein PTT two way radios proving invaluable once again, making the job and the TM much easier.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Pfeifferis more likely

[Tommy_B]

Tidy looking job mate. Nice one.

[Big 'Ammer]

Some more.

[Pete Mctree]

Nice work Nigel

[Big 'Ammer]

Fungi porn for Hama.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

this is excellent documentation, care to send me a bracket so I can confirm the ident?

 

might want to add these images (with credit) to a certain document soon if your up for that?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

a timely fell my man.

 

do you like the way the fungi avoided consuming the wood they was attached to till last!

[Big 'Ammer]

I'll send you a bracket Hama.

 

We'll have to go back and shift some of the timber out the garden anyway.

 

It was that wet it would have turned it into a ploughed field, we have had constant rain since and the client is happy to leave it and let it dry up for a couple of weeks.

 

So you think its Ganoderma pfeifferi?

 

It didn't look typical Gano brown to me. But I know little about fungi and am interested to learn.

 

To me it looked more like Fomes from the description in the book and some of the images on the directory here.

 

Feel free to make use of the images.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I'll send you a bracket Hama.

 

We'll have to go back and shift some of the timber out the garden anyway.

 

It was that wet it would have turned it into a ploughed field' date=' we have had constant rain since and the client is happy to leave it and let it dry up for a couple of weeks.

 

So you think its Ganoderma pfeifferi?

 

It didn't look typical Gano brown to me. But I know little about fungi and am interested to learn.

 

To me it looked more like Fomes from the description in the book and some of the images on the directory here.

 

Feel free to make use of the images. [/quote']

 

ammer, it didnt look typical gano brown cos pfeifferi does not always present as a brown, in fact 99% of the time it has a blackish to blueish tonal range.

 

here are some images that might help you, fommes is very different when your more familiar with these brackets:thumbup1: these are G pfeifferi