Diseased Sycamore?

[daltontrees]

Looks like kretzchmaris deusta. Normally ends in a brittle, ceramic type fracture. Not good as a rule.

 

I am in no doubt that you are right. it looks to me like well aerated K. deusta.

[daltontrees]

As for removing it, that's rarely necessary. But reducing its height and spread proportionately to reduce wind loads so that it is unlikely to fail catastrophically but leaving enough crown to allow it to continue for a decade or two might be a compromise. Who's going to be in the garden in a hurricalne if it snaps?

 

It's all about striking a balance between likelihood of failure, consequences of failure, wanting to keep it for a while, the cost of doing so and taking objective advice. The guy who pointed out the problem was right to do so, but none of us have seen the whole context (or even the whole tree!) so he might be right or he might be over-reacting or he might be preying on fears. we don't know.

 

Butr free advice usually comes at a cost. So it's worth pausing and weighing up the pros and cons.

[Chris at eden]

As for removing it, that's rarely necessary. But reducing its height and spread proportionately to reduce wind loads so that it is unlikely to fail catastrophically but leaving enough crown to allow it to continue for a decade or two might be a compromise. Who's going to be in the garden in a hurricalne if it snaps?

 

It's all about striking a balance between likelihood of failure, consequences of failure, wanting to keep it for a while, the cost of doing so and taking objective advice. The guy who pointed out the problem was right to do so, but none of us have seen the whole context (or even the whole tree!) so he might be right or he might be over-reacting or he might be preying on fears. we don't know.

 

Butr free advice usually comes at a cost. So it's worth pausing and weighing up the pros and cons.

 

To add to what Jules said about a reduction in height and spread would reduce wind loading. It would also reduce the fall radius so the issue of it being just within falling distance of the house could also be addressed by cyclical crown reductions.

 

Worth considering.

[Gary Prentice]

An unanswerable question but, at what degree of reduction does the loss of canopy start to reduce the energy system and defences, hastening the fungal colonisation?

 

Just pondering like.

[Kveldssanger]

An unanswerable question but, at what degree of reduction does the loss of canopy start to reduce the energy system and defences, hastening the fungal colonisation?

 

Just pondering like.

 

I'm sure there's a PhD thesis in there somewhere.

[David Humphries]

An unanswerable question but, at what degree of reduction does the loss of canopy start to reduce the energy system and defences, hastening the fungal colonisation?

 

Just pondering like.

 

 

 

I'm sure there's a PhD thesis in there somewhere.

 

 

 

Or perhaps just a watching brief over the next 5-10 years to 'see' what happens, eh Chris ?

 

.

[Kveldssanger]

Oh indeed!

 

How is that tree faring?

[David Humphries]

.......How is that tree faring?

 

Early days

 

Last two shots are post reduction

 

 

 

 

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[Kveldssanger]

I'll hopefully be up at the Heath soon (next few weeks, at a weekend), so will take a look then if I can get over there!

[arboriculturist]

Spending an elderly couples money on anything other than a removal is a futile waste of resources on a Sycamore colonised by KD.

 

Having seen many catastrophic failures of S. trees in similar circumstances this is only going to end one way.

KD in Sycamore is aggressive, like a knife through hot butter. This species does not have the ability to compartmentalise KD and will loose the battle every single time.

 

Monolith the tree, promoting and supporting bio-diversity and plant 3 new trees in the garden.

 

Your time would be better spent encouraging people to plant more trees than debating further and I expect any expert with over 20 years experience will advise you similarly.

 

I hope all goes well,