Tony Croft aka hamadryad

the ash has ash canker as rainford suggested, the chestnut has bud proiferation,as robin says and possibly canker forming at the basal area that is the sight of rabbit damage, hence the decay of exposed heart/ripewoods, the decay is NOT associated with the symptoms around its edges. the rot and the visual symptoms are two different things altogether.

it looks like cos it IS Perenniporia fraxinea. And while perenniporia may well be a significant factor in the decline, auricularia mesenterica is probably the secondary crown coloniser doing the majority of the sap wood damage. A very common secondary coloniser in the fungal succession of decline in pollarded ash.

I agree, increasingly so as I mature and understand the tides of ecology. I think there may be a very fine line between conservation and hindrance to ecology. I do love an ancient woodland full of bluebells and other wild flowers we have come to associate with the british landscape but I sometimes wonder if the many pathogens on the rise and tree declines are trying to tell us something we are choosing to not hear.

I think this particular example is superb, one to definatley use as much as poss. I recently got to work on a nice veteran tree, we was there for other work but I spotted this tree rather prone to losing its top in the near future. The area of woodland while low risk is an area the children will be playing at various times, not only was that a consideration I also wanted to ensure that the potential habitat of the open cavity of the central wood was not ripped open and exposed by the failure of the top. It was a burn on site job and I ended up also having to get buckets of water sent up as a spark caught the rotten wood in the cavity alight, lots of fun and games! My gut instinct for this trees potential proved right as a tawny flew out of the tree as I climbed! gave me a start I can tell you, happening a lot lately! seen three barn owls and a little owl also this last year. I guess this is more preservation than creation, but been a while since I posted anything of any worth.

you messed up the composition on this one, not like you old bean! perfect opportunity to put the pod on the golden mean and strike the diagonal from corner to corner:001_smile: but im being anal!

these arent trees if you ask me, this looks like a low level perennial, my first thoughts where watercress but not quite right, a better closer photo would help fleshy stems on another look, im sure its watercress

exquisite portraits MD

Ive found during my continued research that the underlying "instinct" or intuition for succesefull pruning almost certainly lies in a natural inherent expression in all living things. That is of certain mathematical principals, the fractal geometry, the Fibonacci index etc. I will get a little bit more detailed into this theory at some point in the near future but wanted to get you all looking into these things and doing your own digging, I think it will be illuminating. I think that if we use these rules, we will have the optimal pruning system

youll love that place, definitely a place you feel, very potent atmosphere in the wood there. I am quite certain it would have and probably still is an important grove for the druids, you can feel it. They are said to be 2000 years old but I reckon they are older at least the central grove ones. Pre christian era, imagine!

not toothed mat, this is maze like and pored

There was a case involving the barn door failure senario I described, Im not suggesting anything other than just highlighting the considerations, ive done a lot of cabling and just passing on the experiences and knowledge gained. and I know you wasnt aiming the post at me, but had to clarify, and also agree with your sentiment. There is an over emphasis of fear and loathing for the legal implications, as long as we can justify what we do having sound principals we will rarely fall foul of the lawyers.

I remember the post about this tree, nice to see it bounced back, they often do, a funny moody ol tree sometimes the yews. hoping to get down to Kingley vale again this year, western europes most amazing yew forest apparently, and I would agree!

credrus atlantica:thumbup1:

thats just friggin awesome, man thats got me going! been a while since I was this tickled by a fungi photo!

thats an interesting little fung you got there mathew:thumbup1: not a familiar one to me:blushing:

As I understand it it is, though not one for the faint of heart I suspect:001_smile: that is not condoning the consumption, you do so at your own risk, and no returns! but roger says it is too:thumbup: Rogers Mushrooms - Meripilus giganteus Mushroom

good points well made but we also have to balance "reasonable" too, meaning severity and costs, urgency etc. and if the risks where that iminent we would also be suggesting a bit of end load reduction to said hazzardous limb stem. also worth pointing out that (and this is a tested one) if we cable a co dom stem with a single cable or multiples above each other we still have the issue of side loading via winds. This leaves you liable in the barn door failure scenario. if an A-frame style support cant be achieved to alleviate the barn door scenarion a reduction of the load is advisable as in cabling one acknowledges the fault, but in a single line system one has failed to acknowledge the barn door potential from side loading. A very pertinent and important consideration in the scenario of twin co dom stems. with multiples of stems a different system can be applied and avoid the issues but its a complex method im still working out the finer details on but will allow all independent movements to remain under all but severe loadings when we actualy need the cables to do the work they was intended for. always remember were rarely installing a tight system, and it is surprising just how much movement we can allow for. cabling is generally a precaution, often it can be applied to "redirect" failures too, this is a consideration few realize or utilise to its max.

totaly agree with steve here:thumbup1: trees MUST be allowed to move freely to continue adapting to loads according to the axiom of uniform stress, to much restriction sets up false loads and un balanced adaptions, causing more issues than cabling should solve. exceptions to this are rod bracings of included bark unions where tightnes as with rubs on branches is the desired outcome.

I like the direction and sentiment of your postings, and agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment. Thanks forreminding me why I came here in the beginning, arbtalk could do with many more, I feel like my time is better spent jst occasionaly picking up the odd misleading error or offering alternatives to quite absolute statements at times in here. Im glad to see there are others keeping it real with the right frame of mind and attitude. Mutse atsi:thumbup1:

yes I would agree, they dont often dessicate and harden this way, they more often decay away and turn to squidge:thumbup1:

Lol, balance is no concept, its law, all things balance in the end, as above so below, nothing conceptual in this.

thanks for the update.

Stop picking on young lads who are trying to be good arbs, or an even bigger more able arb will start picking on your faults. Karma is a universal law, and from what ive seen of it your building up quite a debt

thats an absolute cracker, can I share this with a friend