Cavity-borne Rigidoporus ulmarius

[Kveldssanger]

Sesia apiformis is the clearwing moth, and larvae tunnel within the fresher wood principally, before pupating and leaving the tree. I have not seen them bore into wood to any marked degree, though that's only personal experience. Likely they're feeding on the nutrient-rich sapwood, if anything. I do stand to be corrected though, as I haven't checked!

[treeseer]

Mallets are pretty cheap...is the growth rate of *this* poplar enough that high maintenance is inevitable?Also I'm wondering how you monolith a tree with good vitality. I've done girdling with chainsaw and been amazed at the refusal of trees to die. The deeper the cut is, the less stability, so how deep do you go?

 

Not a rigidoporus/poplar expert but with other species I'd suggest crown reduction and retention, based on aural data from the mallet. Maybe throw a rope up there and pull, for more data?

[Kveldssanger]

To be honest, the main reason here is long-term cost. There's not necessarily the luxury to ensure this tree is routinely pruned, and if someone else takes over from me then is there any guarantee they'll even keep that maintenance up? I realise it's short-sighted of me, though I'll probably seek to do a much heavier job on it and get some more trees in close by. As I mentioned before, it this were a much nicer tree then I'd strongly consider more lenient (read: appropriate) management, though it's a poplar sandwiched between a petrol station and a housing development, the one next to it (around 5-8m away, to the north) failed at the base and did a lot of damage this winter just gone, and I have concerns being voiced from property-owners as well. Quite a few other poplars nearby have either been harshly pruned or monolithed (perhaps subsidence-related, in part), and it's not hugely visible from any public area (asides from the petrol station) so its loss, amenity-wise, wouldn't be too drastic.

 

If cost wasn't an issue, and I could be sure it'd be on a cycle of maintenance forevermore (until it dies, when it could be monolithed) then sure, I'd just reduce it, but frankly my cynicism gets the better of me on this one and thus it's not the way I'll be going with this tree.

[Jake Andrews]

I think it's difficult for tree officers to take the lenient (read: appropriate) approach towards tree management.

[Kveldssanger]

Unfortunately, at times, yes.

[Kveldssanger]

Another large poplar fell on the same green where the petrol station is during the winds. It has a bee's nest in it, so it's staying put, for ecological reasons (watched the bees there the day I posted these photos and was to reduce that poplar this coming winter so as not to disturb the bees, so a little gutted but glad the bees stayed put). That's two in a few months, so I know it's guilt by association but evidently something is 'up' there.

 

The one that fell today does have a much denser crown, granted. However, it is (was) more sheltered.

Edited March 29, 2016 by Kveldssanger

[Jake Andrews]

Was the stem/roots decayed? Or did the tree uproot?

[Kveldssanger]

Lots of decay at the base - it failed at the fulcrum.

[Jake Andrews]

Looks as though your justifying your prescribed works with hard site evidence. Can't beat that🖒

[Kveldssanger]

Looks as though your justifying your prescribed works with hard site evidence. Can't beat that🖒

 

It's still anecdotal, as this tree could stay standing for another ten years. However, this new windthrow has caused residents to get worried yet further, and I think it's probably best to just remove the risk almost fully. Very boggy down there today after all the rain as well, so perhaps the moist conditions didn't help with regards to decay and so on. Thinking of putting some alders in there, to plant around a willow that also fell a few years back and is now colonised by a nice load of Ganoderma - I hope this fallen pop will go the same way, and that the bees make good use of it for at least this year. I really was panicking that the bees had lost their home, though they were still flying around the tree and going into the stem with as much grace as they were when it was still standing. Hardy fellas!