Chalara fraxinea - Generic thread

[The avantgardener]

Just to add a completely new dimension into the mix, I came across this for the first time today.

The background story is. 

I was asked to plant several types of Ash from various parts of the world as a controlled experiment to monitor species resilience to ADB on an FC site known to have ADB present.

I have been monitoring them for the last 5 years, until now, all good.

Today I inspected some of the Syrian Ash, as I approached I noticed the dreaded tell tale sign, die back of the crowns resembling hedgerow trees.

What I found surprised me and I have never seen it in 26 years of Forestry. These are native Hornets completely ring barking  and stripping bark causing the tips to die back, anyone seen this habit before, and why only the Ash?

Edited September 21, 2019 by The avantgardener

[Paul in the woods]

I've not seen hornets stripping bark, and we get quite a few hornets around here.

 

A quick google suggests it's common, I'll have to keep an eye out for the damage as I did notice hornets taking an interest in a particular ash tree.

[Konstantly]

On 18/09/2019 at 11:04, AA Teccie (Paul) said:

Safety Guidance Note - Felling dead ash - April 2018.pdf 573.67 kB · 42 downloads

Thanks Paul. Have heard that hand cutting should be last resort. Can't remember where I saw the info so this is great and clarifies what I am saying to people I work with as we are increasingly seeing and removing trees that i suspect have it. 

I would expect that the use of MEWP is even more imperative at risk assessment stage if felling is not an option. 

 

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

1 hour ago, Konstantly said:

Thanks Paul. Have heard that hand cutting should be last resort. Can't remember where I saw the info so this is great and clarifies what I am saying to people I work with as we are increasingly seeing and removing trees that i suspect have it. 

I would expect that the use of MEWP is even more imperative at risk assessment stage if felling is not an option. 

 

Absolutely (re using a MEWP where cannot use a machine nor fell at ground level) and our ‘pending’ guidance aimed primarily at dismantling works states such.

cheers

Paul 

[The avantgardener]

49 minutes ago, AA Teccie (Paul) said:

Absolutely (re using a MEWP where cannot use a machine nor fell at ground level) and our ‘pending’ guidance aimed primarily at dismantling works states such.

cheers

Paul 

There seems to be a focus down in the SE on using excavator mounted tree shears to deal with dismantling large plantation/roadside Ash with ADB, the Woodland Trust had a recent demo using a Westec Woodcracker 350 shear on a 14 tonne machine.

I am not totally convinced that the power of the grab may not just shatter the limb apart depending on how brittle the timber has become.

Some of the firewood merchants down here are starting to reject Ash with ADB, the processor is cutting the log and dropping it into the pit to be split, but the log is simply smashing into pieces when pushed against the splitter.

Edited September 22, 2019 by The avantgardener

[Konstantly]

On 22/09/2019 at 08:17, AA Teccie (Paul) said:

Absolutely (re using a MEWP where cannot use a machine nor fell at ground level) and our ‘pending’ guidance aimed primarily at dismantling works states such.

cheers

Paul 

Thanks Paul. I also read that ground level felling should be approached with caution, especially with the use of wedges.  

[markieg31]

It amazes me that LA, to my knowlage, doing anything to notify home owners and landowner about the risk of die back. I have knocked on a few doors and caught a few people to notify them that the big tree over the house has die back. I just tell them to get a tree surgeon to look at it as i dont like cold calling but i almost feel like i have a duty of care!

[Gary Prentice]

32 minutes ago, markieg31 said:

It amazes me that LA, to my knowlage, doing anything to notify home owners and landowner about the risk of die back. I have knocked on a few doors and caught a few people to notify them that the big tree over the house has die back. I just tell them to get a tree surgeon to look at it as i dont like cold calling but i almost feel like i have a duty of care!

I think that the rapidity at which it's spread has caught some LAs with their trousers down. At least that's my experience locally. None of the Manchester area authorities are doing anything yet to advise private owners on their websites. My own local tree officer asked me to report to him any particularly bad trees, private or their own, which could pose a hazard to the highway. They're trying to evaluate their own stock asap because previous highway inspections were zoned on highway usage, a residential street might only be inspected every four to five years but the speed at which this is spreading through the crown, at least  here this year, means that the more or less need to look at all highway ash this year. 

 

You can sort of understand why no-one is spending time and/or money on advising the public. Maybe everyone arb contractor should be adding something themselves to their own websites to publicise the problem!

[Paul Cleaver]

I will be shortly survey trees railside mainly in the South. I expect I will be quite busy. I am expecting some areas where "clumps" (for want of a better word),  of ash trees may need felling. If this is the case I will have to determine whether immediate replanting should take place on banked areas to avoid landslip!

[Pete Mctree]

On 22/09/2019 at 08:17, AA Teccie (Paul) said:

Absolutely (re using a MEWP where cannot use a machine nor fell at ground level) and our ‘pending’ guidance aimed primarily at dismantling works states such.

cheers

Paul 

Do you have any further details on this guidance? And is it relatable to dealing with hazard trees in general?

i have already heard stories about rigging point failures where climbers have used rigging blocks & the resultant forces have ripped the tree apart.

When I started in Arb, we were rigging out the last of the elm trees we used natural crotch rigging as there were few other options. This simple method helped massively reduce the forces generated at the rigging point. This has to be our end goal either through friction or load sharing redirects- either way we need to rapidly and radically reassess how we approach these rigging scenarios, as It is OK having all the toys, but a deficit in knowledge & or the skills to apply it will no doubt result in fatalities rigging out these hazard trees sooner or later.