treeseer

Stereum sp.? looks like a bark fungus not a woodrotter. Job1 (if paid) is to get the $#%^&*()& dirt off of the stem and find the flare. 5 minutes with a shovel could tell a lot.

Good to experiment, and follow up! "left side has very thick new growth and has nearly healed completely. Right side shows very little growth and new growth has lots of areas where it shows no new growth at all" Pretty hard to tell from here, under all that goop. If the right side is nearly the same, the squirrels left a lot of parenchyma outside of the wood. If at that time drying was less of a concern, then sealing the area probably inhibited more than it helped. If the wood was scraped bare by rodent teeth, I'm guessing that sealing may have done more good. This is the invasive gray squirrel? I'm sorry it got loose over there--wasn't me!

It's lovely, but you want to cut half of it off. What's your objective? Is there a picture? Wounds generally close better when made in the growing season.

"...This reduction wouldn't accord with BS3998 as the general principle of not removing more than 1/3rd of 'foliage bearing material' appears to have been exceeded. Further, as others have said, ideally the secondary growth you prune back to should be at least 1/3rd dia. of the branch you're cutting." I find these 1/3 guides (not Rules) to be without scientific basis, and utterly confusing. "In order to select a branch for removal, the diameter of the final cut should generally not exceed one-third of that of the parent stem or branch." Shouldn't this be "...the remaining lateral should..."? It makes no sense, either way. "Specifications for a percentage reduction are imprecise and unsatisfactory without reference to length, height, spread etc." "Overall it appears a little hard in places and because no suitable growth points are present, and Sycamore can be challenging to reduce anyway, some of the cuts are 'inter-nodal', i.e. between nodes/buds/shoots, which is akin to lopping (NOT that I would call this lopping but just to be aware.) Lastly, of course we didn't see the spec, in terms of reduction by how much, so it may be spot on! " I agree, without a 'before' shot and without the job's objective or any specifications, it's hard to understand what's going on. Most of the cuts seem to be in the same artificial arc; some could be deeper, some further out. Internodal is always to be avoided. The remaining shape does not look as natural as it could.

More consultation ... like the TO considering something besides felling. Trenches dug right next to trunks are terrible, but there are a lot of options.

Great responses thanks. Rob it appears the majority of UK voters so far would agree with you. No comment on the US polls That middle purple cut may not be needed; it depends. Re specs yes good points on the need for additional guidance: I typically might say ~"...reduce branch to clear (the dominate) leader by X feet (1 or 2)" if subordination is the purpose for example.

In the US, 'heading cut' has 2 definitions. One is 'internodal' the other is 'to a lateral <1/3 the diameter of the parent.' Confusion is inevitable, but the 'heading cut' concept remains prominent in training materials. So if the objective is to reduce the branch to reduce its growth relative to other branches, maintaining long-term health and safety with minimal maintenance, many US arborists are trained to obey a '1/3 Rule', and make the cut at the red line. In the UK, this term is not used. So if the objective is the same, where would UK arborists make the cuts? Article Request Page is some research that seems to indicate that red cut might not be the best.

http://www.treeworks.co.uk/downloads/11%20-%20VT%20Risk%20&%20Responsibility.pdf

Liners for gloves recommended--worked through a few winters in Wisconsin (near Canada) and frostbite snuck in before I knew it. Now my fingers turn yellow when chilly; not a pretty thing.

The infection seems to have begun in a sinus (concave area), where mechanical damage would be unlikely. Perhaps self-damage from included bark is a factor.

http://auf.isa-arbor.com/request.asp?JournalID=1&ArticleID=1796&Type=2 http://auf.isa-arbor.com/request.asp?JournalID=1&ArticleID=201&Type=2 http://auf.isa-arbor.com/request.asp?JournalID=1&ArticleID=3044&Type=2 http://auf.isa-arbor.com/request.asp?JournalID=1&ArticleID=2841&Type=2

It's not too rare in the US, but not so common that I've seen a pattern to its occurrence, or tried to ID it. Very bright white! Aleurodiscus and Perenniporia are the most common bark fungi genera here; does not look like those. ID is an academic question, as it's never been associated with damage ime.

Very PICUS-centric; are they funding this study? Q 11 allows for no other tomograph. Tomographs do not detect decay; they measure wood conductivity. You've seen this thread? http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/tree-health-care/5089-decay-dectection-equipment-7.html pm me your email if you want a study on tomo use.

Kd is endophytic; it can pop out anywhere!

Do any branches overhang your property? If so you can prune these. The registered letter, copying the TO, the railway, and a solicitor, would be the next step on this side of the pond too.

That main fork does not look that great from here; maybe a probe around that potential split? The flare is all above grade so RCX may not show much that is new. If Arm. is a serious potential issue then improving overall site drainage, with deep aeration, swales etc. may be in order. Buds swelling should not inhibit pruning. Wounds made in spring seal better than those made in winter. (Dujesieffken) Yes maybe hold off on less essential work til late summer. Looks like a fun project.

There wasn't a failure, lucky all around.

Interesting to read Fungal Strategies p. 112, then read the posts here.

Agreee nothing to worry about. the Dendro article tried (but failed:blushing:) to bust the myth that compression/tension wood was an either/or kind of thing. It's all reaction wood, and when you really think about it, all wood is reaction wood (quoting researcher Frank Telewski).

Past threads here on this 'braided reaction wood'. Cassian's piece on eucs; http://www.naturaculture.com.au/sites/naturaculture.sites.go1.com.au/files/Specialised%20Self%20Optimisation%20of%20Gum%20Trees%20-%20Braided%20Reaction%20Wood.....pdf A US beech story attached washboard cassian poles.pdf Detective Dendro - The Case of the Wonderous Washboard.pdf

Tony, do you think those are the last remaining uninterrupted vascular pathways? The rest of the bark looks normal; the conks are confined to a sinus. What does "the remaining shows none" mean? the remaining what? Robinia is fairly aggressive in my experience.

In terms of effect, note the response growth. Orange pillars on either side of the conks indicates a strong Wall 4 compartmentalisation. But it does call for further assessment.

That all makes sense. From a US perspective, I can climb alone with just the client there to call 911 (emergency svcs) per need, plus our insurance sounds more affordable--E&O is <$500USD/year. Glad to hear you include full specs.

Boy, you guys got special vision!