D Mc

In looking at your original pictures I can see these are the sites of previous epicormic growth. So that should be reassuring. I personally wouldn't cut it off yet. Also I noticed your initial two tipper loads were of mostly woody material. One thing I have noticed that is quite stimulating for the soil is adding leaves, wood and even flowers from the spring growth. Not being a scientist I don't know the specifics; but I have seen beneficial results in the field. The only note of warning I would have on this would to go outside the Rosacea family to avoid cross contamination. This layer can be very thin, 1/2" to an 1" would be enough. At the same time, double check the depth of your mulch layer. With the right conditions, these products can decompose very rapidly, losing 80 to 90% of their mass within the first couple of years. And thus will need replenishing. Once again, I highly appreciate your keeping us informed on this tree. This type of research needs to be ongoing to give us the answers we need. Dave

This is true. It doesn't help that when the interruptions occur that there is no immediate signs. The references I made that were beneficial were for plant innoculations not soil innoculations. What I found very interesting is the delicacy of these relationships. Information I have read says there must be a need for the plants to take on the symbiotic relationship with the mycor. Symbiosis is a complex partnership and, even at that, only part of the equation in the soil. http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/wong/BOT135/Lect26.htm Note the discussion under lichens in this lecture and the findings of Ahmadjian. Dave

There actually has been a lot of research performed on this subject in this area. For young plants germinated in nursery situations innoculating with mycor has proven to improve the success ratio of the plantings for reforestation. This has been used for many years in this area. Innoculations on young plants for reforestation of strip-mined areas has also shown tremendous success ratios. Yet all of the studies I have read performed on mature trees in regards to mycor innoculations has shown no discernible effect. I think the information is there, we just need to accept it. There are no short cuts in this process but a time requiring process of decomposition to allow the development of the multitude and diversity of life within the soil. Without this activity our efforts to decompact will be short-lived. Care should be taken with any process that interrupts or disturbs the balance of this natural occurence; such as tillage, chemicals, fertilizers, etc. Dave

David, I was actually a little surprised to see the crocus (?) so successfully circumnavigated the cardboard but then I remembered your friendly little, yellow-coated forest gnome poking holes with his magic wand. Any chance there is a correlation? If you are looking for advice, mine would be to keep replenishing the mulch (in the form of whole tree chips). The canopy cover is too light to prevent plant growth but with increased mulch depth you should get growth-appropriate and nonantagonistic for the tree. Nitrogen-fixing ferns would be a good cover. Also keep it simple. This is still just organic material. It will take time for the soil microbes' activity to introduce it as organic matter into the soil. Dave

Drew, Even when you have a skilled second climber, a ground-based system will be quicker in a large number of emergencies. I believe there are certain benefits to a ground-based retreival system where research of those benefits could be focused. I don't have the numbers but I do know that in many trauma situations unconsciousness is not immediate. And there are moments prior to blood loss and shock where a lanyard can be unclipped and rescue could be immediate. This immediacy is not possible with just a second climber retreival system. And in severe trauma, time does matter. Dave

This is a strong statement that I have heard before from others. But it is not true. There is a lot to be said for having a fully functional lowering system preattached to an injured climber. This negates the need for load transfer and simplifies the complexities of the release of the secondary lanyard for the aerial rescuers. Unfortunately, this is not a system that can be used in all occasions. But wherever possible and practical, I think it is an excellent idea. Dave

With such headlining abilities, I fear you may have missed your calling. Seriously, good job. Proper use of coronets and a nice location for a mono. Wonderful pics protraying the tenacity of trees. That 3rd pic is an amazing amount of erosion on the exposed root plate. Good job. Dave

John, You might want to consider revising the wording on Option 1 with something along these lines: "Undertake an extensive crown reduction in order to mitigate the reduced stability created by the decaying root system." Just a thought. Dave

There's some discussion on the 93 here. Might give you a place to start. http://www.triumphrat.net/t3-sport-touring-forum/8195-93-triumph-trident-900-a.html Dave

I think the largest cost in a successful change over in our practices may not be dollars or pounds but the brain power involved and the willingness to accept the change. We have examples before us showing how things can work and have been working for thousands of years. I think a couple of areas that need reexamination are our expectations on survival rate from the seed. Of the hundreds and thousands of viable seed produced in forest situations, less than 1% may succeed; yet we expect 80 to 90% success ratio from our plantings. Trees' survivability depends on their strength to withstand and face attacks on many forms with roots that can't run away. So with a high germination rate without regards to natural selection we are removing one of the tree's abilities to improve itself, through natural selection. Another area of concern is monocultures. Monocultures are manmade, it is something you will rarely see naturally. Hundreds of thousands of weed-free acres with one species growing has never occurred naturally. When I think of healthy, I think of Grandma's garden. Stuffed full of a wide variety of edible and floral vegetation, ornamentals all living and supporting each other with the modest energies of an old woman. I look around in naturally wooded situations and I see a cohesive unit working together. This makes more sense to me. What one is using up, another is replenishing. We need to figure out how to work this natural diversity into our horticultural and silvicultural practices. Maybe better stated: we need to relearn how... Dave

I break down soil in my mind into two different categories. The mineral aspects which range from clay to course sand and everything in between. This is dirt. This is what the large corporate farmers like to plant their corn in. It is fairly static and requires constant tillage and nutrient additives to produce growth. Soil, on the other hand, is created, it is grown. It has horizons. These horizons vary in depth by the volume of the decomposing matter above, and the volume of microbial life below. When there is life within the soil, even microscopic, things are constantly changing and correcting. They can be disturbed but as long as there is life corrections will be made. It is easy to be concerned to the point of inactivity when worrying about soil compaction. But things have to be done. If you are actually working in or on soil, the life will carry on. Compacted dirt, on the other hand, will remain so for an indefinite time until something else comes along to alter it. We are fortunate that we deal with trees, large woody plants that thrive in a heavy forest litter layer. When the litter layer is down, many of the nondecomposed portions will redistribute the weight and reduce compaction. There are no easy answers in our quest to be kind to our environment. They are multifaceted and complex. Dave

I don't assume that NONE of you question the usage. But when I hear comments that rationalize presticide usage with phrases like it's less toxic than salt, where am I suppose to go with that? It is a true statement; it is also extremely misleading. And is the type of phraseology used by ad agencies to make a product they wish to sell appear quite safe. Whether or not that is the truth appears to be irrelevant. Dave

This has turned into quite a lively discussion and I think that is a good thing. I would like to interject, for those of you doing research, before opinions are formed, do not forget history. We are taught in schools that history is important to prevent us from making the same mistakes over and over again. If you look at the history of pesticide/insecticide use and the subsequent banned substances list, you will see that our historical track record on collecting scientific data as proof regarding environmentally safe application rates of a product, is somewhat flawed. Science is always evolving. Our studies tend to focus on LDs, half lives, toxicity ppm yet fail to recognise many other factors that are involved for the necessity of life. We are short-lived creatures. We like short simple answers. History tells us we are not going to succeed if we keep looking at this the same way. If my wife, SMc, can produce enough dialog to keep this interest going to get even a few of you to question your usage on some of these products, I will be quite pleased. For if we as professionals cannot see the hidden ramifications of our actions, how can we expect the lay person to? There is no "we" or "them" there is just "us". Dave

Matty, Nice clean set up. Have you experimented with tying the VT a 180 deg opposite orientation? It is the way I use mine. I found the pulley will hit at the open patch of rope and tend smoother and also the X that bumps into the eyesplice will no longer be on that side, making adjustments more smooth. This seems to work for me at least. Dean, What a great shot of the lock jack! You could sell it to use for one of their advertisements. I'm a little bothered by the rope angles. It looks like your primary TIP with pulley is below your redirect by a considerable amount? If so, that's an awful lot of rope and I would not be fond of that setup. If something were to fail, that's too much slack. It generally would be worth resetting your TIP as opposed to redirecting. All in all, I think the Lockjack is a fantastic tool that requires some getting use to but, truthfully, there is nothing else, including the VT that will tend slack as smoothly. Dave

Good to hear, Lee. I realize that from my previous post that there are many who might assume that I am just another grumpy old guy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Really! A child at heart. Hope the tree does well. Appreciate your keeping us updated, David. Dave

David, I must confess to being a bit miffed. I feel one of the prime requirements for tree research/work should be patience. I was looking forward to some fundamentally profound improvements in this tree's well being after your superlative job of mulching. Now, when you see dramatic results how can you put your finger on the causal agent? I have no gripes with Mr. Winger, he is a very knowledgeable guy with a good service. But couldn't you have used him on a tree that wasn't mulched?? Can you elaborate a little on the procedure? Was it just aeration or, (gulp) something more? Dave

I like the Icetail just fine. I like a soft VT and it is that. Looks a bit rugged right off the bat, but then seems to hold without further deterioration for awhile. Dave

MisterTee, I have been using the Sequoia SRT (purchased for that purpose) for the last few months and it appears to be a fine saddle. I can't say whether or not it would have enough adjustability for you but the three adjustment positions for the rings and the different length bridges available do alter its hang angles alot. Just may take experimentation if you think it is worth the bother. Another thing I will note, I bought this primarily, as stated, for SRT but find myself using it as my all around saddle, even on large removals. It is a close fitting saddle that seems to have no trouble handling a large saw hanging off the side. Dave

I know this is not the hitch climber, but for those of you who are not satisfied with some of the attributes you might want to give something like this a try. What I really liked about the hitch climber was the tandem carabiners and that everything stayed tidy with slack in the system. What annoys me with the hitch climber is the close proximity of the carabiner eyesplice connection to the VT/hitch. Here is what I came up with: Dave

Though there was some concern from clients in regards to water and the collection of debris in cavities, the primary thought or purpose on the arborist's side was to try to create a surface for callus growth to reform an entire, cylindrical shell. This was achieved in some situations and was kind of fun stuff to work with, though messy. David, I am sure that conversation would follow the script of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. With luck he would get you enlightened in one night. Dave

Ah well, my apologies then. I saw the line in the tree and what appeared to have been some work done. With the picture having been taken, I thought perhaps you were finished. Dave

Over here I would be thinking Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a worldwide soil borne bacteria with a wide host range. Soooooooo, this looks like a nonwoodland area, nonnaturalized, what's with the fracture pruning? Dave

I will add what I think is an interesting side note. A local University Ag Research center has an ongoing research project on mycchorizal innoculation. This project was started studying reclimation of barren sites in mining areas. A byproduct of this research was that if the plants do not "need" the mycchorizae (i.e., well-watered and fertilized) they would not develop the relationship with the mycchorizae. Instead, accepting the most readily available path of nutrient-uptake. So if you want a plant to thrive on its own and achieve the benefits produced by the mycchorizal relationship, fertilizing may not be appropriate. Dave

Alex, that was a great post, very informative and correct. I also use the Lockjack Sport and believe it to be a great tool. Would not be without one. Dave

Ian, I apologize if my post sounded alarmist. I didn't mean that. It was just a heads up. The small portion of the tree I could see looked like the fungus was growing in a region below a large bark inclusion. And that some thoughts could be given to the possibility of a structural weakness in this area. Whenever I see fruiting bodies while climbing I consider them and their variety in assessing the trees integrity. Dave