Large Beech Failure

[likeitorlumpit]

The difficulty here is determining how extensive the decay in the roots is. You can assume by the sheer number of fruiting bodies that decay is well advanced, but I know from experience this relationship doesn't necessarily hold. A PiCUS reading wouldn't be much help, and I've had pretty mixed/inconsistent results from Resistograph readings, too.

 

Given your targets, I think you'd have some explaining to do if you retained it and it failed.[/QUOTE]

 

This is what concerns me most. I really don't want that sort of responsibility. I don't see how I could defend myself if it failed after me taking these pictures

[likeitorlumpit]

Perhaps explore the option of having the roots airspaded to determine the extent of underside decay

 

 

 

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I'd love to give this a go but I guess the cost would be high and may still indicate that the tree has to be felled. Also I know some of the residents in the flats would like the tree removed. Fairly serious light issues.

Plus even if airspading revealed that the root decay was minimal, how often would this need to be done in the future? More cost issues. Could the meripilus quickly begin attacking. Would it be encouraged following disturbance?

[David Humphries]

I'd love to give this a go but I guess the cost would be high and may still indicate that the tree has to be felled. Also I know some of the residents in the flats would like the tree removed. Fairly serious light issues.

Plus even if airspading revealed that the root decay was minimal, how often would this need to be done in the future? More cost issues. Could the meripilus quickly begin attacking. Would it be encouraged following disturbance?

 

Always a cost involved in trying to learn about trees and roots in the flesh as opposed to from the pages of a book, no?

The value of tree retention or the prudence of removal requires quantified investigation either way in my opinion. Easy for me to say as we have a compressor and airspade as part of our arsenal (wasn't easy to justify them interms of budget, but the continued professional development via experience has value.

 

Can't really advise how often to re spade, as this would depend on condition found and willingness to invest in the tree.

[David Humphries]

Here are some shots of the sycamore which was riddled with Kd and was heavily spalted up the stem to ca. 8 metres. The tree was standing with very abbreviated foliage (the classic "broccoli top" look) and loads of deadwood. The crown was beginning to collapse when I politely asked the caretakers of the office I rent to drop it. Most of the crown except for the main stem shattered like porcelain when it hit the deck.

 

The roots were pretty well hollowed out directly beneath the stem and there appeared to be movement on one side of the plate, which correlated to where the caretakers, in their wisdom had their bonfires. Two other sycamore adjacent to the scorced patch are showing the same symptoms.

 

Thanks for putting up the shots.

Can you rule out any other pathogens (on top of the Kretzsch) for the vascular shut down, Armillaria perhaps ?

 

 

 

 

 

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[ScottF]

Can never rule out other paths- in fact, as I said in my earlier posts, I'd be certain it was working with something else, but there was no other direct evidence. In the absence of direct evidence attribution is difficult. In this case, the crown was the decider in terms of action being needed, and the owner didn't want to pollard it.

 

In terms of the fact that these things seem to be work in syndromes of usual suspects, I sometimes find it useful to consider the injury, event or vector that might have weakened the tree in the first place when I'm monitoring a suspect one, rather than any one pathogen.

 

Thanks for putting up the shots.

Can you rule out any other pathogens (on top of the Kretzsch) for the vascular shut down, Armillaria perhaps ?

 

 

 

 

 

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[likeitorlumpit]

Always a cost involved in trying to learn about trees and roots in the flesh as opposed to from the pages of a book, no?

The value of tree retention or the prudence of removal requires quantified investigation either way in my opinion. Easy for me to say as we have a compressor and airspade as part of our arsenal (wasn't easy to justify them interms of budget, but the continued professional development via experience has value.

 

Can't really advise how often to re spade, as this would depend on condition found and willingness to invest in the tree.

 

I get that totally

Trouble is if I start talking like that to the people holding the purse strings they will simply say. Whats the cheapest option here? It's social housing by the way. I doubt they will want to fund my professional development.

I guess from the way the tree is reacting it;s been infected for some time. Crown growth is fairly robust. I wish this tree was in a wood then I could experiment more but with the targets I couldn't live with myself if it did suddenly fail. Someone is likely to be hurt.