treeseer

Pulling sod and soil off stem would come first. Good on you Tony for mulching. Looks like the cable is needed badly.

Azaleas very common here but the gall is not.

would you say reactive rather than adaptive then? These terms overlap; when writing the US risk standard it almost came down to a coin toss. Key point to me is a need for neutrality; when we look at these cases as 'excessive' growth resulting in 'deformities' we cast a negative light on it don't we? On the Metasequoia the girdling root is quite atypical, indicating root/soil issues that affect tree movement, which affects buttressing. the species can put on mega-flares anyway so this is not all that far from the norm. the unfortunate loss of lower limbs --not just the 3 with stubs left--also altered biomechanics, and flare development. On the maple I agree it could be mostly down to reaction to mower damage. Re terminology it seems most accurate to me to talk about adaptation to movement and other natural forces, and reaction to wounding and unnatural, or at least atypical, forces. Perhaps both could be considered types of 'response growth', but I keep coming back to Telewski's "All wood is reaction wood" tenet and don't worry about the wording much. What matters is the cause, and how or whether to manage it.

hahaha you had me thinking the felcos would be used to make 1 cm cuts. End result is gut wrenching as viewed from here; not sure i want to know the rest of the story!

OK not entirely different...but rather/quite/ a goodly bit different then. Forget the lighbulb, light a candle!

I would go with your original idea of reducing lever arm. That may allow the original system to remain, as the reduced load can be supported by a cable even with its slightly reduced holding power. And the owner might not even notice 10% off with <8 cm cuts. Some of the money that a cobra system would cost could then be invested where it will do some good--the roots!

Just ran across this research from 17 years ago: http://auf.isa-arbor.com/request.asp?JournalID=1&ArticleID=2766&Type=2 Why is this disease met with fear and chainsaws? How is it that there is still such skepticism about changing the soil to help the tree?

Codominant failure has nothing to do with SBD; 2 different animals entirely. Gravity and lack of reduction pruning took their toll. In the US/ISA there is a strong belief that I find questionable: that fungal colonisation and decay are ALWAYS caused by wounding. How do you suppose the fungus entered this tree?

"we can sometimes prevent this from happening in the urban environment by shortening lever arms." Right. Overextension is a defect. Heavy, exposed ends cause failure. The white stuff did not help, but strength loss from it does not look like the primary cause of failure. That willow is not doomed because of that tear out wound. Closure can be sped by tacking on a screen for callus to roll over when the wood decays, and by retaining any sprouts. Applying a sealant first might lessen cracking and decay. It won't be as pretty, but might last a good long while, depending on crown management.

Does all the damage face where a machine is most likely to hit it? hard to see w low res but looks minor. helping roots is the best treatment to speed compartmentalisation.

Paul, that's what irked me the worst about their stonewalling instead of changing; one bad bit of outreach can damage a group's image.

I wonder what Al did with that string, and what he washed that wurst down with...at any rate I've followed that hypothesis on 100's of trees, and find it perfectly defendable. I wish that those critics who crave numbers could be satisfied with that.

Thanks David; I wonder if there is a way to calculate the quantity needed to adequately reduce the load. On the cherry I agree re vascular activity and retention; the woundwood is as or more important to consider than the fungus imo.

This video contains content from WMG, Sony ATV Publishing and UMPG Publishing, one or more of whom have blocked it in your country on copyright grounds. Sorry about that." Stuck in the US of A, ain't got nothin to say, boy, stuck in the US of A...

Nice looking work. If I knew more about tree condition, and the objective, etc., I might understand why all that green came off, losing some of the natural habit. But symmetery is a good thing, and i have no doubt it will regrow favorably. I especially like the b&a from 4 different views--top marks on the documentation! I learned this from Herr Rinn, but the lesson is not yet ingrained as habit, and my work's all the poorer for that. As it is, I rather understand the coronetted 'stubs'. A cut right back to the upright lateral would have dried the wood and sped decay in the tree structure. The extra wounding at the end of the 'stub' makes for desired habitat/part of the objective, while allowing a 'collar' to form to conserve the structure; got it! As soon as that habitat is desired by an owner or client, I'll do it here in the US. I'm not holding my breath on that one...

Definitely response growth visible too; let's give the tree equal time and attention shall we? The shed branch had a lot of wood all round; definitely a lack of pruning there.

Why so cable-averse? Much less wounding than the pruning proposed. Yes always better to inspect, assess, put the client on a couch for a brief psychoanalysis etc. but there's a limit to what one wants to do in a free estimate. It would be a guess even after all that. Not a lot of residual risk imo after either a hard chop/drop crotch job or a simple strand of steel. Tony's got a point about its current verticality in spite of nature's fury.

That gave it some help, nice work. Retrenchment pruning is often considered a phased operation, with return visits being the default expectation. However with this one and perhaps many others it seems like the first operation may also be the last. Who's to say the tree is not likely to stabilise its crown, and compartmentalise below, or at least add as much or more strength than it loses?

Might not a support cable to prevent fork failure be an option? Then instead of 33% off maybe 10% would suffice.

Gradual may be better, and maintain moisture around any exposed roots. If roots have grown into fill try tehn be very gradual, and wait til summer's over to remove many roots.

Looks very good! What was the objective? What kind of shape are the trunk and roots in?

The client's options include work to lessen risk of failure, and aid compartmentalisation. Monitoring the integrity of buttresses seems reasonable. I've seen A. rubrum wall off Kd, and I've seen total failure. This one's been fighting it off for 28 years. Have you seen this brown bark syndrome in the UK?

Ran into this and wrote in: Please consider revising this. 1. the 2nd cut is way beyond the undercut, leaving a lot to chance. 2. If we are limited by our tools, we need to use other tools. There are many ways to make a clean cut to the collar.--straight-bladed saws, more cuts to gradually remove, even chisels! You guys do great work but it may be time to upgrade this one. "Happy Monday. Thank you for your email and suggestions. We always appreciate feedback. I consulted with our tree planting department team — comprised of certified arborists — for their thoughts. We first considered the video’s purpose and targeted audience. The video in question is geared towards novices. We are looking to introduce the basics of pruning and tools (hand pruners, pruning saws, loppers, etc.) to the general public. There is no discussion of chainsaws or pole saws in our video. Additionally, we considered how to best convey lessons in the video. We do exaggerate the cut slightly in the video but we do so to be better display the action. Additionally, the size of the branch is relatively small and the tool is appropriate. With a larger branch and a chainsaw cut, the second cut should be much closer, if not aligned with the first cut. That all said, we are always open to producing additional educational and instructional videos. Developing a Masters series is a great idea. Unfortunately, securing the funds to produce such instructional videos is the challenge. As you know we are a nonprofit and we welcome donations from individuals such as yourself to help fund great projects such as instructional videos. I encourage you to consider becoming a Member or making a general donation in support of our education initiatives. Alternatively, we also have a new corporate giving program that you can be part of. I hope we can count on you to help support our work. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks again for your comments and commitment to caring for trees." Thoughts? Why is using a chainsaw considered "advanced"?

"Is it possible that the 'abrasion' could have been from a previous unreported branch failure that impacted on that part of the trunk?" David as you see below this brown scuffed bark is seen where physical damage can be ruled out. These skinks are pretty common so they are not a legally protected species. But the client enjoys them visiting them in his garage, and says he has a 'symbiotic relationship' with them. scots, I agree Kretch on red maple is a serious condition. I think 15' and 20% off is a proportionately serious treatment.

Assessed this fellow yesterday. 2nd pic south side. What is the scuffed brown area all about? It's totally dry and looks like abrasion, but I see it on oaks etc. where abrasion is impossible. Typically on compression side of compromised trees but not always. 3rd pic west side; root killed by grading is being digested by adventitious roots. Client asked for remove-or-retain opinion; strong response growth leads to specs. Maple Report 140712.doc