Ash with a rib

[Island Lescure]

Just looking at this tree which a client wanted the branches that may eventually damage the adjacent structure to be removed. I ended up reducing a few <5cm dia branches that were about to touch it and recommended leaving the rest as it is quite an old tree and I would be more concerned with the whole thing coming down on the structure than a few branches coming down on it... It does not seem to be the case any time soon but I was intrigued by the longitudinal rib.

The setting is a woodland edge: building, woodland edge, woodland that was thinned of large trees not so many years ago as most of the trees on the edge are leaning towards the building but don't have other trees pushing them that way and it doesn't make sense with regards to where the sun is.

Chainsaw (150) is for size reference. Lower trunk seems fine. 4th pic is opposite side of trunk where rib is. 5th has rib encircled. I was not actually inspecting it so I did not have my sounding hammer.

Vitality is fine. No dieback. It seems to me that the tree has dealt with the longitudinal crack with the rib. Looking at it more, I noticed the line running to the right of the rib (parallel). Seems a bit strange. Does anybody have any idea if this is a concern?

[treeseer]

Does not look like a concern. Strength added.

[10 Bears]

I agree with the above comment. The rib is closed and appears to be well adapted. Yes, there is a large dog leg in the form, but the tree appears to be well adapted in this sense also.

 

The rib has clearly formed in its location due to an unusual (or more likely several) wind/storm events causing a bit of lateral separation in the fibres. But as you point out, is has dealt with this problem well.

 

I take the secondary linear feature just as a crease or perhaps internal fibre buckle formed as the rib reaction wood increased in size and pressure as it grew.

 

All in Island, your call to leave it to its own devices appears to be the right one.

[Island Lescure]

Thanks for your views!