Expansion cracks?

[Adam M]

 

Matthew, if it were possible (and there was space to do so) I would be looking at the removal of this tree as an opportunity to pull that union to failure with a PTO winch. This would provide valuable information as to how strong/weak this union actually is and could be a rare experience to learn from for all concerned from inspectors to managers.

 

 

 

good idea.

[treequip]

Why not? Lack of familiarity (aka the 'i' word)?

 

The TO MUST realise that felling this tree increases the risk of every adjacent tree.

 

Sweet dreams to the TO.

 

So much for TOs in the UK having a clue about arboriculture. Even in the backwoods of the US this would be an abysmal judgment.

 

The abysmal judgement is solely on you.

[Paul Cleaver]

a well used path - well I supposed that's clinched it - hope they plant a nice single stemmed replacement then

[Matthew Arnold]

Guy, I think you make an overly generalistic swipe at British TO's with that statement, which I'm guessing is mostly tongue in cheek.

 

I do however agree with your sentiment on the decision to remove a tree like this one though.

 

It appears (from the photos) to be very sheltered by its neighbours which collectively help protect it from wind load which I imagine is the real threat to the this tree, particularly with its fastigiate nature as opposed to a wide canopy with weighted lever arms where gravity would be the main protagonist.

 

it's also just a woodland tree with in my opinion a low risk of actually failing at the precise moment a random pedestrian would be going pass. I think it would perhaps take a pretty strong gale to break that union and that type of event would certainly lower the occupancy rate on a footpath within a woodland environment.

 

I'm sure the decision has been made with the hindsight of local information such as population numbers, local failure history, budget constraints etc.

 

 

 

Matthew, if it were possible (and there was space to do so) I would be looking at the removal of this tree as an opportunity to pull that union to failure with a PTO winch. This would provide valuable information as to how strong/weak this union actually is and could be a rare experience to learn from for all concerned from inspectors to managers.

 

 

Regards

 

David

 

The pictures don't show the crown poking a long way above the near by ash line. It is protected by the Northerly and Easterly winds but gets caught by the Southerlies and Westerlies. When we had the October storm rattle through i was surprised to see a lot of beech leaf and small sticks on the floor and lots of deadwood on the floor from the beech trees but no signs of large scale failures. I will put the idea forward about using a PTO winch to make that union fail and see if we can pollard it to that point.

[treeseer]

Overly generalistic perhaps, or underly generalistic, as that type of judgment is all too common in the western world. to dismiss bracing without a how-to-do seems indefensible from this perspective. The old story about budget constraints might apply if one assumes 1 that bracing is too costly--see the 2-hour + 60-pound mtls. estimate--or that the tree itself has no value, as that component is omitted from the dodgy formulae that prevail in this industry. Or 3 it could be a condition of underinformedness about bracing or tree value.

 

tongue in cheek o yes of course; who could sanction lobbing such hand grenades over the Atlantic? Lob not, lest ye be lobbed at? MA's pics and descriptions might seem to make it plain if one desired to opine on the depth of the abyss whence that judgment arose, but opine not, lest one be opined upon?

 

It's quite late after a long day of surveying $624, 357.42 worth of 5-year old landscaping that is mostly rubbish now, thanks to poor stock, poor methods, and lack of deer hunting, but I shan't inflict my ill humor on the right honorable public servant who condemned the tree. Inflict not, lest...

 

re a pull test, if it fails at the union, it might peel down to the ground, but good idea to make a scientific silk purse out of that sows ear of a felling order. (t-i-c) The best post in this thread was about the 'push test' done by a climber; maybe that could be executed and documented before the rope is attached for the pull test. tongue removed from cheek. gnight.

 

[Matthew Arnold]

I have got a video of the cracks opening and closing today in the gusts. The TO would like to evaluate the tree in 6 months but would rather we deadwooded and removed rubbing branches from the remaining avenue first. I will let the video do the talking on what would take a higher priority.

 

[treeseer]

I have got a video of the cracks opening and closing today in the gusts. The TO would like to evaluate the tree in 6 months but would rather we deadwooded and removed rubbing branches from the remaining avenue first. I will let the video do the talking on what would take a higher priority.

 

 

6 months? Why wait 6 hours? Excellent job capturing that movement!

 

Deadwooding and raising would increase center of gravity, and risk. Installing cable and/or brace rod(s) and some reduction would seem to be in order. Support system could buy decades or centuries of useful life.

[jomoco]

Nice vid Matt.

 

Looks like an excellent tree to rod n cable to my eye.

 

I know I've successfully rodded and cabled mature trees in far worse shape.

 

Good luck with it mate.

 

Jomoco

[Matthew Arnold]

6 months? Why wait 6 hours? Excellent job capturing that movement!

 

Deadwooding and raising would increase center of gravity, and risk. Installing cable and/or brace rod(s) and some reduction would seem to be in order. Support system could buy decades or centuries of useful life.

 

That is possibly the next option bracing it and a couple of others with Cobra bracing and reducing it by about 5 metres off the top but felling some neighbouring Ash to halo it so it can establish an inner crown.

 

The wind was ideal for the video today. Gusts of varying strength and length helped.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

that is possibly the next option bracing it and a couple of others with cobra bracing and reducing it by about 5 metres off the top but felling some neighbouring ash to halo it so it can establish an inner crown.

 

The wind was ideal for the video today. Gusts of varying strength and length helped.

 

rod brace it, dont worry about the halo, ash are a thin species and beech a shade tolerant one