help with damage to limes.

[Jack.J]

Looks like 'target canker' any wider context shots?

 

 

 

.

 

Managed to grab this shot today aswell

[10 Bears]

Rather than relying on rules of thumb/best guesses as to the extent of the canker and the likelihood of failure, why not attempt to quantify your concerns through a measurement of the potential strength loss?

 

t/R was mentioned earlier, and while it is too rough a procedure to provide an assessment of likelihood of failure with any degree of accuracy (Naysayers, see Kane & Ryan, 2004), you could use it to give you an idea of potential strength loss.

 

If you don't know what t/R is, there is a reasonably helpful document on the Arbtalk pages from another discussion here although what isn't said in great detail is that t/R is not particularly useful in open cavity assessment (despite the document suggesting that additional work was done - it wasn't completed to the same level of study so loses on reliability).

 

Also, there may be some compensation by the tree in reaction wood which will not be considered in this assessment, so remember use any 'result' with necessary caution.

 

Either way, this approach may be better than just guessing how much strength loss has occurred. There are other approaches to use that are better in this situation - its just they are more complicated to explain in a forum...

[treeseer]

Rather than relying on rules of thumb/best guesses as to the extent of the canker and the likelihood of failure, why not attempt to quantify your concerns through a measurement of the potential strength loss?

 

Or better yet, assess the tree's strengths as well. "Defects" are less important. The woundwood on the edge of the canker looks vigorous, and indicates a favorable prognosis.

[PeterGG]

If they are mature trees and there is major dieback then they could be in decline. Severe damage to the heartwood are good grounds for felling. Is there an option to replant? If so this could sway felling permission in your favour and its always nice to replant.

 

 

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

IME target cankers are, providing no prior or existing heart wood decay organism solid and do not become like a "rot" All i have ever seen of target cankers have been very hard dry surfaces with no softening or modification of wood to any significant depth (say a few mm)

 

The main issues are in the duration of infection, and the age at first colonisation, which causes very large cankers over considerable circumferential areas.

 

that said, this length of time also enables some adaption to increased stresses at the peripheries.