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treeseer

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Everything posted by treeseer

  1. Yes grandiflora. Climate not that different.
  2. The hollow is in a sinus which is normal. Soil replacement there might improve codit, and future health and stability. As for the amputation wounds, really unfortunate. Soil improvement will help that too.
  3. Yes, the TRAQ folks say the same thing; "We assume that people know how to inspect a tree", when in fact people do not have the experience or methodology to do so without missing critical details. As a fellow stakeholder/commenter I was disappointed in the broad generalities. It's not really a standard of practice. The goals are proper and worthwhile, but the means are sorely lacking. Aside from ANSI A300 Part 8 , where is this supplementary guidance of which you speak? I do not see it in BS3998. ANSI are not commonly available. LANTRA maybe?
  4. And as far as the scientific part goes, there was no room to attach references at the end, but if you have questions or corrections, please share!
  5. Reviewed by several peers, thanks. The audience was arborists.
  6. Lots of good aspects to consider, but both docs lack detailed guidance on how, for instance, to inspect a tree. Maybe they figure that everyone's familiar with the US standard: “Inspection should include: • Conditions in the crown that may reflect root conditions • Stem tissue connecting the crown and the roots (functional vertical segments) • Girdling of buttress roots or stems by roots or foreign objects, and the tree’s response • Tree association with beneficial and harmful insects Tree association with pathogenic and beneficial microorganisms (e.g. mycorrhizae) • Wounds, and the tree’s response to wounds • Mechanical damage to detectable roots, and response • Indications of root disease and response • Graft unions in grafted trees.”
  7. Mags are unusual in that they respond well to internodal cuts. You can actually shear them into a poodle or a pachyderm.
  8. "Own" was in quotes, which I infer means "control", but that's not necessarily so. The city has an easement to maintain infrastructure, gray and, one hopes, green. But owners can do what they want with the trees; they are their property. Like here: http://www.historictreecare.com/putting-nerc-to-work-standard-utility-pruning/
  9. "Own" was in quotes, which I infer means "control", but that's not necessarily so.
  10. You're paying taxes on the land and the tree, so you own it! it's definitely more practical to DIY and not wait for the city. I'm in Durham; hit me up on my website if you want more info.
  11. Yes. Much research available. Here's a demo of a manual method.
  12. Got a picture of the bottom of the tree? These infections may be soilborne, so replacing the soil and drying out the flare is one treatment. Attached tree had similar bleeding lesions. Blowtorch dried the site and effectively stimulated closure. DD 0912 Stubborn Streaks 295kb.pdf
  13. I'm in NC--looks like anthracnose; nonfatal. Can be mitigated by pruning to increase air movement. treebuzz.com might be a better US site. Restoring 1006.pdf
  14. Thats a codominant, not a subdominant branch, so good luck finding a collar! Depends on species; a maple would be slanted; an oak maybe not. Can't go wrong with smallest cut now, and maybe tidy up later.
  15. Trees laugh when tickled; Some trees guffaw when beheaded! Gotta love em.
  16. Pics? Magnolia grandiflora are native and common here. Light pruning does not result in wild sprouting. You should be able to make the 25' tree down to 20' ok, leaving a very low risk situation. Topping down to 12' would be ruinous. Pics?
  17. Bark shedding may be due to a harmless fungus.
  18. The machine just measures run times. It's not a crystal ball! Re shared ownership, mmmm...I've rented 3 different models and no owner expressed a lot of concern about them breaking down somehow. Gross negligence or violent intent would be required for that to happen. But renting is quite straightforward, while co-ownership would be anything but.
  19. First, I have to wonder how dysfunctional the tissue is behind that kind of pruning wound. Closure of those wounds is quite functional ime. Second, that wound was already made with the plunge cut. If it was not completely severed, that root continues to constrict. Partial severance made some sense to me when I first read the theory behind it, in Costello's book. But with experience it seems like doing half a job is worse than none at all--the most critical constriction remains, and an infection court was opened. A pruning wound is a point of ingress if dirt is placed on it--another good reason to follow the ZTV and backfill (where necessary) only with permanently pervious (and sterile) aggregate. If splashing spores are a concern, then sealants are an option. We have lots of wood decay fungi over here, yet there would be no hesitation to excise that root, including the scraping off that stem-girdling, compacted bark. As you point out, the tree is responding well in the small area where constriction was released. But that broad flat area above the remaining sgr remains a structural and physiological problem. By the looks of it I have to wonder if there was root damage to the right of the pic, to cause those roots to arise at right angles to the buttress?
  20. By the looks of it I have to wonder if there was root damage to the right of the pic, to cause those roots to arise at right angles to the buttress?
  21. What makes you think it's grafted (anastomised, inosculated)? Looks like lots of bark in between. Red lines are obvious cut location possibilities, even if grafting is underway. If the sgr wiggles a little it is not grafted and the orange line becomes an option. It's really good to see someone in the UK get the dirt off the stem! But perhaps you're a bit too shy with the tool. Pruning wounds seal fast in that location ime.
  22. There was. I did not understand your hesitation. "Maybe the response would have been much stronger if the stub was not left. Did you run into big sinker roots that stayed your hand? Cutting off the interior sgr at the red line would have relieved much more constriction. And would have allowed the blue root to remain. Cutting at the orange line (what is that black crease--a partial cut?) would have been more sudden but not likely too much."
  23. The previous article (Standard Tree Inspection) concluded with root collar examination (RCX). This time we will refer to the list of tree features and conditions in the flare and trunk, as noted in 83.3 of the ANSI A300 Tree Care Standard, to clarify what they entail. Examples from the field will illustrate the seamless transition from diagnosis to care of the trunk and flare. Principles borrowed from a British system will be italicised. Not to spoil your day, but here’s a spoiler alert: cleaning is a part of both processes. “Specifying the method, area, depth, tools, and limitations of inspections” is first. You can call it the trunk flare, or the root flare, but Part 8 avoids adjective confusion by defining the flare as “where the trunk broadens to form roots” (the “root collar” is where the buttress roots divide, “between the flare and the roots”). Here we will use manual methods and tools available to anyone, from a shovel to a chisel. We’ll go as deep as practical, and we’re always limited by time, money, a lack of research, and other factors. “Avoiding damage to living tissue, bark or soil” means we should not break the tree’s Compartmentalisation of Damage in Trees (CODIT) barriers, unless #jscode# As an example, after a 3m-diameter tree was tomographed, an experienced arborist used a microdrill in only three locations – just enough to confirm the 24-point tomogram. In contrast, beginning assessors might drill a 3mm hole through every buttress root of every big tree they see, just to get numbers that have no bearing on the stability of trees. This of course would cause a great deal of wounding to that vital area, like a steel stake driven into the heart of the tree. Oozing, infected holes cry out for relief from excessive drilling. Wounds And The Tree’s Response To Wounds How can we give relief to an infected or damaged area? The 6X Protocol was designed with this question in mind. • EXpose the affected area: clear away obstructions like grass and other weeds, mulch, or soil • EXcavate loose decayed tissue: clean away any dead or foreign matter. If tissue is living but infected, give the tree the benefit of the doubt. Drying alone can be enough to speed CODIT • EXcise respecting the barriers: cut into living tissue only if you are certain it is justified. If the pathogen is aggressive and the tree defenceless, or if collecting samples for laboratory analysis, then living tissue is cut away • EXamine strength and weakness, like columns and active infections • EXtract information by recording images and measurements to reach a definite diagnosis and mitigation options. According to the ZTV, “Before contracts begin, a definite diagnosis” • EXhaustive specifications are written and illustrated to implement mitigation options and carry out the work. These include trunk drenching with minerals like phosphorous acid, growth regulators such as Paclobutrazol, and prochloraz, which is approved for management of Armillaria in the UK Prochloraz is “a mixture comprising a combination of a phenyl amide fungicide; an imidazole fungicide; and a phthalimide containing fungicide, wherein the composition has a synergistically enhanced activity” (patent application). Other compounds such as salicylic acid also work, which is why willow bark is spread under apple trees with scab. Conditions in the crown that may reflect root conditions guides the eye from branches downward, through the trunk and flare. Stem tissue connecting the crown and the roots are referred to as “functional vertical segments”, “columns” and “discrete xylem channels” by veteran tree experts. In older senescing trees as other “sections of the tree collapse and decay, these may take the form of young stems”. This could be considered a form of self-propagation, where the tree divides, as a lily or an iris might. “Aerial roots… arising from the area of historic wound wood… act as extra support, as well as exploiting the decayed wood in the centre of the stem to supply nutrients to the crown. Stem hollowing that gradually recycles the non-functional woody tissue while retaining a structurally robust cylindrical bole” are favourable features to note during a tree inspection. Observations of veteran trees that appear to have successfully survived without recent intervention may give some idea of the tree’s ‘strategies’… different species seem to demonstrate different survival strategies with varying degrees of success where the following conditions apply: • A relatively undisrupted rhizosphere • Little competition for light allowing the crown to retrenchment naturally reducing the sail area and leverage on weakening attachments • A tendency to respond with epicormic growth around areas of the base, stem and crown Tree association with pathogenic and beneficial microorganisms (e.g. mycorrhizae); the Ancient Tree Forum has developed a system for checking the soil away from the trunk for “good guy” fungi, and conserving that associate. Girdling… by foreign objects, and the tree’s response; when bark is compacted, the tree cannot rebuild those columns until the compacted bark is traced. Chisels work to chip off the dead bark and retain the living phloem, which will promptly expand after it is released from the girdling bark. Due to limited space, we will have to save “Tree association with beneficial and harmful insects” and “Graft unions in grafted trees” for another time. In conclusion, consider the experience of Jeremy Barrell, when it comes to relying on our inspections and care, “… lawyers and the courts are attracted to stepwise analyses that are easy to understand, and there may be some merit in carefully considering this type of approach. …if it is accepted that compartmentalising the tree risk assessment process will assist the courts in applying the law, then arborists who have considered what the courts are looking for and are able to explain what they did in those terms will obviously be well-placed to refute allegations of negligence.” It’s a “sleep-tight protocol.” If a systematic and thorough inspection and standard care are performed, arborists can feel very good about improving trees that seem to be in a bad way. References Barrel, Jeremy: www.barrelltreecare. co.uk/pdfs/BTC86-AANewsComplete-191013.pdf Fay, Neville: www.treeworks.co.uk/ downloads/Notes_on_Arboricultural_ Techniques_for_VT_management.pdf Percival, Glynn: Systemic Induced Resistance (SIR) presentation at ISA 2015 conference. View full article
  24. The previous article (Standard Tree Inspection) concluded with root collar examination (RCX). This time we will refer to the list of tree features and conditions in the flare and trunk, as noted in 83.3 of the ANSI A300 Tree Care Standard, to clarify what they entail. Examples from the field will illustrate the seamless transition from diagnosis to care of the trunk and flare. Principles borrowed from a British system will be italicised. Not to spoil your day, but here’s a spoiler alert: cleaning is a part of both processes. “Specifying the method, area, depth, tools, and limitations of inspections” is first. You can call it the trunk flare, or the root flare, but Part 8 avoids adjective confusion by defining the flare as “where the trunk broadens to form roots” (the “root collar” is where the buttress roots divide, “between the flare and the roots”). Here we will use manual methods and tools available to anyone, from a shovel to a chisel. We’ll go as deep as practical, and we’re always limited by time, money, a lack of research, and other factors. “Avoiding damage to living tissue, bark or soil” means we should not break the tree’s Compartmentalisation of Damage in Trees (CODIT) barriers, unless As an example, after a 3m-diameter tree was tomographed, an experienced arborist used a microdrill in only three locations – just enough to confirm the 24-point tomogram. In contrast, beginning assessors might drill a 3mm hole through every buttress root of every big tree they see, just to get numbers that have no bearing on the stability of trees. This of course would cause a great deal of wounding to that vital area, like a steel stake driven into the heart of the tree. Oozing, infected holes cry out for relief from excessive drilling. Wounds And The Tree’s Response To Wounds How can we give relief to an infected or damaged area? The 6X Protocol was designed with this question in mind. • EXpose the affected area: clear away obstructions like grass and other weeds, mulch, or soil • EXcavate loose decayed tissue: clean away any dead or foreign matter. If tissue is living but infected, give the tree the benefit of the doubt. Drying alone can be enough to speed CODIT • EXcise respecting the barriers: cut into living tissue only if you are certain it is justified. If the pathogen is aggressive and the tree defenceless, or if collecting samples for laboratory analysis, then living tissue is cut away • EXamine strength and weakness, like columns and active infections • EXtract information by recording images and measurements to reach a definite diagnosis and mitigation options. According to the ZTV, “Before contracts begin, a definite diagnosis” • EXhaustive specifications are written and illustrated to implement mitigation options and carry out the work. These include trunk drenching with minerals like phosphorous acid, growth regulators such as Paclobutrazol, and prochloraz, which is approved for management of Armillaria in the UK Prochloraz is “a mixture comprising a combination of a phenyl amide fungicide; an imidazole fungicide; and a phthalimide containing fungicide, wherein the composition has a synergistically enhanced activity” (patent application). Other compounds such as salicylic acid also work, which is why willow bark is spread under apple trees with scab. Conditions in the crown that may reflect root conditions guides the eye from branches downward, through the trunk and flare. Stem tissue connecting the crown and the roots are referred to as “functional vertical segments”, “columns” and “discrete xylem channels” by veteran tree experts. In older senescing trees as other “sections of the tree collapse and decay, these may take the form of young stems”. This could be considered a form of self-propagation, where the tree divides, as a lily or an iris might. “Aerial roots… arising from the area of historic wound wood… act as extra support, as well as exploiting the decayed wood in the centre of the stem to supply nutrients to the crown. Stem hollowing that gradually recycles the non-functional woody tissue while retaining a structurally robust cylindrical bole” are favourable features to note during a tree inspection. Observations of veteran trees that appear to have successfully survived without recent intervention may give some idea of the tree’s ‘strategies’… different species seem to demonstrate different survival strategies with varying degrees of success where the following conditions apply: • A relatively undisrupted rhizosphere • Little competition for light allowing the crown to retrenchment naturally reducing the sail area and leverage on weakening attachments • A tendency to respond with epicormic growth around areas of the base, stem and crown Tree association with pathogenic and beneficial microorganisms (e.g. mycorrhizae); the Ancient Tree Forum has developed a system for checking the soil away from the trunk for “good guy” fungi, and conserving that associate. Girdling… by foreign objects, and the tree’s response; when bark is compacted, the tree cannot rebuild those columns until the compacted bark is traced. Chisels work to chip off the dead bark and retain the living phloem, which will promptly expand after it is released from the girdling bark. Due to limited space, we will have to save “Tree association with beneficial and harmful insects” and “Graft unions in grafted trees” for another time. In conclusion, consider the experience of Jeremy Barrell, when it comes to relying on our inspections and care, “… lawyers and the courts are attracted to stepwise analyses that are easy to understand, and there may be some merit in carefully considering this type of approach. …if it is accepted that compartmentalising the tree risk assessment process will assist the courts in applying the law, then arborists who have considered what the courts are looking for and are able to explain what they did in those terms will obviously be well-placed to refute allegations of negligence.” It’s a “sleep-tight protocol.” If a systematic and thorough inspection and standard care are performed, arborists can feel very good about improving trees that seem to be in a bad way. References Barrel, Jeremy: www.barrelltreecare. co.uk/pdfs/BTC86-AANewsComplete-191013.pdf Fay, Neville: www.treeworks.co.uk/ downloads/Notes_on_Arboricultural_ Techniques_for_VT_management.pdf Percival, Glynn: Systemic Induced Resistance (SIR) presentation at ISA 2015 conference.

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