treeseer

Nice work on that last one, cutting just after that knob. If the ash's stability was a concern i'd definitely have a go at the other--not grafting, big bulge above it shows resources headed for metabolism in the roots are backed up. the cut could be just left of that round wound. the aesculus yes much farther along. if crown conditions dictated, one could reduce the girdler just beyond that last lateral aka directional pruning? bhow are horsechestnut's grafting tendencies? Looks like one trunk wrapping another there?

In the 2nd pic something looks flexible and he's looking in--is that a borescope? The wound on the right looks to be closing well but yes on an open grown dominant tree that hollow would be a concern. too bad there are no living branches at that node; even the size the lanyard is on would be helping eh?

Yes we all could--it's everywhere! Though with that example the burying not so extremne. Just a coincidence 2 threads here about buried willows within a few days of each other.

In the lab they dry soil in ovens before measuring. http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/assessment/files/test_kit_complete.pdf As you suggest, onsite assessment can be good too. With soils as mixed up as these, lab tests may have limited usefulness.

Surprising to a foreigner how often trunks are buried by dirt over there; esp decay-prone sp.

" a wind blown is nature at work often these trees redevelop with one dominant leader, a man with a chainsaw is less often able to replicate this." I wonder if this is true? Nature often fails at the work of restoring stability, and men and women with handsaws sometimes succeed. Yes one dominant leader is often preferable, but that is not a law. the species naturally goes decurrent with age; can that timetable be tweaked?

add a mulch to rob free nitrogen from the soil"

in my days before arboriculture I foolishly and ignorantly piled soil up around it when digging out a patio that was about 15 years ago, my bad! never too late to remove it!

X2. Just because a reduced leader will resprout and need management (don't all urban trees?) is no reason to cut the whole tree down, unless you're really hard up for work. Instead of topping again, there is always the option of restoring, by removing some sprouts and reducing others. Yes trees lose their tops in nature all the time; thank god there aren't always Arb Nazis around to hurl fire and brimstone about 'epicormic attachments failing' and other such demons, which are easily and affordably managed by any arb with a lick of sense. You're back annually, great, but 1 or 2X/decade would suffice.

That sounds like more than 1/7 of the height was removed, to force oversprouting. Nothing strange about a spec that signals a tree to start rounding over/going decurrent. ahead of schedule maybe but it's ok to change the schedule, slightly.

Damage is obvious; "wait and see" might result in "too late to fix it". Good luck to Matt: looks like quite a challenge with all those soil and root issues.

Pics show that stem is buried. The flare must be visible to assess, so you need not a saw but a shovel. With no idea of the rate of Gano's spread, why think in terms of removal, or an extreme re-pollard that could hasten decline? See page 32 here for a compromise solution. The Voice of Tree Care | Tree Care Industry Association

So the world and her husband are all the poorer then.

'Thanks for your reply. It helps. You're welcome. "The tree is in full leaf and seems perfectly healthy, but there would be no sign of decline for a few years though, as the tree has plenty of energy reserves for new growth. How do you know? Measuring twigs helps measure those reserves. "They have dug around 8to10 inches into the soil so they have disturbed/destroyed roots and the soil has been compacted for a long time. How compacted for how long? You must examine roots and soil--do they have soil probes at the school, or just bulldozers? "As an environmental college they need to relise how inmportant trees are to the environment and I would like the college to learn from this act in a proffesional Arboricultural way, so I am looking for the best solutions for the future health of this tree. "As Lucombe oaks are a newfound hybrid from around 130 years go they have no predicted life span yet Just as well--those numbers have little use due to trees' regenerative potential. "so from a tree enthusiast point of view it would be good for me to set in motion the preservation of this tree for a number of beneficial I do not need to explain here on this site. All good but you must first ask the tree the right questions and look in the right places for the answers.

Hard to comment without knowing more about condition of the tree and the soil. Have you extracted cores of soil? Do you know how many inches of soil was graded away? In the crown, what is the twig extension the last 3 years? etc. Details provided, while useful, aren't enough to base specs on. as for "lots of damage to its base", we see one patch of bark dislodged. I would suggest tracing this wound and consider use of a sealant/disinfectant. That, and require a bond by any grading contractor to mitigate any future damage. We can say "damage is unacceptable", but what choice do we have but to accept it? Why was the gravel applied? Can it be removed, or is it needed for vehicles? etc.

hows it smell?

No mulch, no protection, = no tree.

that's an old wound with scavengers. Scrape off loose rot and hose it and don't worry about it. re imidacloprid, read the label.

as any tree lover must be! These from mid-Florida. Resurrection fern common on tree branches in southern US

Yes as dalton said it rarely if ever invades living wood, ime. Who is Alan Sugar and why would i want to work for him and again where is the cavity? i could only see see bark missing. ok i guess that is technically a cavity; extremely shallow...

We have a grove of the progeny from those things; cool little trees. http://sfagardens.sfasu.edu/UserFiles/File/PLANTS/pinus%20taeda%20dwarf.pdf

These are generically called ambrosia beetles over here. They have never done serious damage to any living tree I know of, but I've been outbid on two projects by a firm that sells a treatment for the insects along with pruning. Just a competitive edge to hype the risk of igglies doing dastardlies, imo. Do these beetles damage your oaks to the point that you act to lessen their activity? This firm sold prophylactic treatments--chemicals and money wasted? Sixpence if you guess the company...

Loads of adaptive growth there. Planetrees are amazing that way! With that much strengthening on the outside plainly visible, how likely is it that decay inside is removing strength faster?

Stereum sp. is my first wild guess. Where's the cavity?

After confronting some nasty piles left by raccoons, I'm wondering how common it is for other arborists to encounter mammalian dung while aloft. They seem to prefer old branch wounds. It gets deep and I'm thinking it's not the best for the tree. Anyone else running afoul of furry associates in tree crowns?