Assessing the structural condition of a beech

[Aunt Maud]

We have a Beech in our front garden that may be of interest to this thread and I'd welcome any opinions on it too, does anyone mind if I post a few photos tomorrow ?

[Aunt Maud]

Here it is.

 

At breast height it's about 1000mm-900mm Ø.

 

I've taken two branches off it two years ago and they've calloused over quite well.

 

I was thinking of taking a couple more branches off it this winter, as one hangs over the neighbours boundary and I was going to take one from the centre somewhere to reduce the sail effect, as we get a lot of hurricanes from the West.

 

Don't have any idea of the age of it.

[treeseer]

Removing those entire limbs seems to have made the tree lopsided, and top-heavy.

 

Consider just reducing limbs to achieve the goals of reducing windsail, or clearing neighbors' yards.

[Aunt Maud]

The two limbs were going out to the left (top picture) . I haven't removed anything from the stem to increase the height of the crown.

[Aunt Maud]

See below where I removed two limbs From the left side.

[treeseer]

Thanks--I stand corrected!

[Aunt Maud]

But it is lop sided, just a little less so. I think its the SW wind thats forcing it over, as it catches the wind most days.

 

We've got a Scots Pine on the other side of the roof that's as straight as a die until it gets above the ridge, then it veers off to the left.

 

I was mostly interested in that portion of the stem which bulges out just below where the stem starts to divide. Is that some kind of reinforcement the tree has created to cover up a split ?

[detritus21]

Treeseer I would still say a steel cable brace is a fully dynamic system. There may not be quite as much movement as a cobra style brace but still is dynamic. An example of this is how winch cable stretches and also coils round a drum. The cable allows movement in all planes just limits the movement more so particularly in the horizontal plane thus limiting failure chance. A static system is a rod brace or propping system in the case of a large horizontal limb. This severely restricts the movement in any plane so is fundamentally a static system.

 

The problem with PTI and other methods of tree inspection is you could justify tree removal in pretty much everycase I you were to push hard enough. To me I see minimal cause for concern particularly in the first picture in the thread. If you were to brace this tree you couldn't rule out a cupboard door type failure with a traditional dynamic brace whether this be cable of the cobra or steel type. What would prevent or significantly reduce this would be a rod brace through the union combined with a dynamic system within the crown.

[detritus21]

But it is lop sided, just a little less so. I think its the SW wind thats forcing it over, as it catches the wind most days.

 

We've got a Scots Pine on the other side of the roof that's as straight as a die until it gets above the ridge, then it veers off to the left.

 

I was mostly interested in that portion of the stem which bulges out just below where the stem starts to divide. Is that some kind of reinforcement the tree has created to cover up a split ?

 

You will get reactive growth to compensate for different forces present. This can be anywhere where additional stabilization is required. This coup be the root system or within a union or different areas of branches. It can also be growth to strengthen a defect.

[treeseer]

...beech is described as relatively likely to die back after severe cutting, since it often tends to produce relatively few epicormic shoots. Also, its lack of durable heartwood often leads to excessive development of decay.

 

I know in this instance we're not advocating "severe cutting", but presumably these species characteristics are pertinent?

 

Much much less pertinent, as you suggest, if specified cuts are <3-4".

 

Vitality is a big factor, as is exposure to sunlight and/or nicking to release dormant buds. Etc.

 

The terminology is a bit different in the US--bracing = rodding, for instance. And a tree with a rod still moves (is dynamic, literally).

At any rate, steel limits movement much more than polypropylene, so its use fits cracked forks, which get worse with movement. I hope that makes sense.

 

"The problem with PTI and other methods of tree inspection is you could justify tree removal in pretty much everycase if you were to push hard enough."

 

I agree! Use of the TRAQ system for example has condemned many a valueable tree. I find that the more inspection is done, the more options open up.

Edited January 10, 2016 by treeseer