treeseer

That brick prop in front is looking rather teetery, and that column (what does lonsdale call these; vascular pathways?) separating from stem. Maybe time for a little backup, if it could flop into the yard? Here'd one that started walking a long time ago, and now that its foot has sunk roots, it's shedding the leg! Seen elsewhere on q virginiana, and conifers as well, after the phoenixes can go it alone. The sign needs an update; now 87'9" tall, 154' avg crown spread, 31'2" girth. Us yanks are big on size, but we respect age as well. Last pic braided reaction wood, as the limb hangs on for all it's worth.

CODIT Principle and Branch Failure Mitigation are 2 worth hearing. Also in ISA's series is Detective Dendro; Arboriculture dramatized. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/detective-dendro/id370901617?mt=2

With so many variables, it depends on the level of 'proof' you're after. Research by Tate (1973) and Smiley document crown improvement after removing girdlers. Here's the elm that was root-pruned in 2007. A 2009? pic on page 4 here: http://www.historictreecare.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/LBG-III-Managing-Stem-Girdling-Roots1.doc.pdf Pruning wound-red pin- closed 1"/year. The 2 green pins show points on buttresses where compressed bark was traced/scraped down to phloem. These same points have the greater outward growth, as shown in volume and the biggest flaking bark plates above. Blue pin marks point where restored growth appears to be overgrowing the inclusion. It's understandable to avoid wounding, but worse wounding comes from included bark, which is inevitable if compressed bark stays in place. I know the practical pendulum has swung away from 'surgery' and intervention', but in this case it maybe oughta swing back a smidgeon.

On the buttress, it's likely that bark will become included as it laps over into that groove from the top. Compressed bark in the groove will take years to break loose, under pressure from expanding cells underneath. There's some question here whether this is a likely problem. but being a possible problem, why not scrape off compressed bark? just a thought; not common practice here that i know of. also what is the backfill material and how is the composition and placement determined?

There ya go. I often spec removal of parts <2' away or that would collide with parts of other stem in a 35 mph wind. The cuts at the top will be tricky, as Liriodendron tend to be excurrent and decay-prone.

Hard to say without seeing entire crown, but generally prefer subordination of smaller codom, for example by removing any growth within 2' of the dominant leader. Liriodendron often shed basal bark due to bark fungus; no structural implications. Agree risk of splitting low, at present, but could grow if codominance is left unattended.

Nicely done; could go with solid material, or bio-barrier tm may be better as it would allow air and water movement. 4 points of action on the Maclura were not ordered, thankfully! I did not want to be the one to lift those panels. i doubt the city will order any more works on the tree, unless someone sounds an alarm again. Most municipalities here not as proactive as London it seems.

Great shots--girdlers associated with Dysfunction, again and again. Amazing dogleg on that adventitious buttress-turned-girdler--what made it turn like that do you suppose? Four points of action? I'm keen to use those big terra-toggles on a DST (dead standing tree?) or better a living one, but the stars have not yet thus aligned.

More than fungus, it was asymmetry from sprawling into the light that brought it down. Too bad it hadnt been pruned to balance it, then gravity would not have happened so fiercely.

David, you are close to describing terra-toggles, researched here on a smaller scale http://joa.isa-arbor.com/request.asp?JournalID=1&ArticleID=3059&Type=2 and close-to-specified in the attached report. Using 5' deep soil screws will hold 2000# Accuplastics Terra Toggle Video Kewanee Maclura Management 130130.doc

"Could it also be that in this type of situation (habitat) the girdle may provide some additional anchorage to the butress?" As in, strapping it down somehow? I don't comprehend the physics that would make that work. But yes on a tree like that, retaining any but the most obviously detrimental would be prudent. "2012, there were reported to have been 800+ nests recorded from the previous year (did you not have your glasses on? )" Well my glasses were focused on other things. Being my first time there i was quite the awestruck tourist. "OPM is a sneeky little lepidoptera :sneaky2:" Yes good binoc skills needed there. I rather fancied that big vacuum cleaner they used at Syon; cleaned up the nests it could reach quite nicely, well worth the soil compaction. I hope the writeup was accurate. .

No sweetheart, just sayin arm is fairly ubiquitous isn't it, and there are bigger issues. Definitely an aerial inspection on the clock seems apropo.

hmmm narrowed it down in a hurry, methinks...but no matter; arm is fairly ubiquitous isn't it, and there are bigger issues. Definitely an aerial inspection on the clock seems apropo.

Yes there is, but stull, if that habitat is good to have above the ground, then root pruning might keep it vertical longer. Hoping opm situation is not too dire at richmond park; i saw none there last summer, but was not looking for it really. the mgtr. at syon was as good as it gets ime.

Standard treatment for that codom would be a cable. ~2 hrs work, <100 pounds in materials. Usually much preferable to multiple limb amputation. so TC what physical signs of Arm are evident here?

Yes it would be essential to climb at least to that main fork in the top of pic 5, and assess dead vs. live bark there. I wouldn't rule out the disfunction being a result of fence building. Wounding big root by sinking that wooden post, and associated activity, may have started the infection, which then moved up. Or both may be true, or neither...if lightning, the streak would extend above that fork. If not, probably not. By the present look at the damage, a lighter treatment seems more appropriate than monolithing. Never heard of inspection rings, but i sure like the concept! http://www.historictreecare.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Lightning-TCI.pdf has a description of assessment.

David, your damage -> adv root theory is plausible, but doesn't that cut section look like an extension of an old sgr to the right? It may have 'jumped' up from the point of grafting? and the final pic on the right looks like an underground sgr that crawled over that buttress root. nip at soil line or below, keep clear, job done. regrowth into air is very rare.

Lonsdale's phrase describes the health aspect well. I've termed these structures "columns" to describe the vertical orientation and the structural aspect, since they are often looked at in terms of risk assessment. 'Columns' also communicates the absence or relative irrelevance of the valleys/sinuses/depressions when the older wood is not so woody anymore. Thanks for refining and clarifying your terminology; it's a constant process, or should be.

Nope; the inoculation takes place in turf and beds where any conk would be summarily decapitated. Thanks for asking; I'll ask that any fungal growth arising be preserved, and the owner is clued in well enough that i'm sure i would get a pic. Of course that would include the gano as well, should it ever pop up outside the 1m+ radius mulched area. After rcx, excavated material should be treated as a resource, not garbage.

Gorgeous conks and yes the correlation with a big girdler hits you in the face. re pets, many in the US have taken to aggressive intervention with girdlers. and like you i have many pets. re roots on a slope, why not just dig down and look?

yes harvested fresh mycorrhizae from healthy live oaks, blended with soil conditioner and shoved into holes around the dripline. sop; good research on tis by Ferrini and Fini Effect of controlled inoculation with specific my... [Mycorrhiza. 2011] - PubMed - NCBI et al

Nope no resprouting--very rare to see that. (no idea when the original pruning was done.) Watson noted regrowth on norway maple in an earlier study, which drew a lot of attention to the possibility, but in the field yes they are severed at the ground line and do not emerge. This is one reason the flare stays clear on most trees after root pruning, to avoid inviting such ungrateful behaviour. If you build the right conditions, they are more likely to come.

This was a semiregular wellness check, including thinning and demossing interior sprouts to speed recovery, a checkup on th elightning system, adjusting a few fasteners, inoculation of the distal rootzone. I dug down to look for the emergent point of gano from root and found none; it just wiggled through the dirt as far as i could tell. On significant trees, clients very often want the highest level possible. On this case I am also diagnosing tip dieback related to twig damage. The niche I work in, hollow old trees, clients have heard condemnations and little else from arborists, so preservation work is an easy sell. Culturally not sure how US clients compare to UK's. I do know this niche market is not hard to find, and quite enjoyable to satisfy. This tree will also get prescription fert based on foliar analysis; another expert handles that part. It will also get another resisto next winter, as the client's suggestion.

Please do! Here's one Quercus virginiana wrestling with another. The larger trunk has Gano applanatum--2nd pic, arising away from the trunk after years of popping out on the flare. It's fairly well along inside, but held at bay as the tree rejuvenates after sprouts arose in the lower trunk. For years it had been stripped bare, plus having root sprouts sprayed with weedkiller. Anyway a girdler got pruned to a lateral; cheap straight chisel in action, last week.

I have a (probbly cheaper) set like that; the wood handle on one busted after being hammered. If a straight chisel threatens to damage stem tissue, one simply switches to a smaller size. good luck with the gougers if you get em! That robur looks like a good flare, but one never knows what subterranean strangling might be going on. Where you see one that big at the surface, odds are something's amiss below.