DED: potential hazards

[bootboy]

I went and bid an elm today that is short and stout. 30" at the base and has multiple stems diverging at about chest height. Only about 30' tall but has s broad crown The whole tree is alive but is obviously infected with something. The owners want it removed because they are worried about its integrity. Most of it can easily be removed with no rigging. But there is a fence on one side over which the limbs will need to be removed. Is there any reason I need to be any more conservative with my rigging due to the DED? Will the DED significantly dictate my rigging options or can it be just business as usual? Compared to many, I consider myself conservative with my rigging. I sounded to wood and it sounds and feels solid. Could the DED be hiding any nasty surprises?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[bootboy]

Btw, there is no die back in the crown and there is no evidence of root damage, no visible beetle activity but it has the slimy, weeping grey streaks down the trunk from all the crotches and the butts of previously removed branches. No shrooms at the base.
Is it simply bacterial wetwood? Or are there darker forces at work?

 

[TheJollyLogger]

If it's still at that phase, just treat it like a normal elm. As with any tree, keep an eye out for defects and ease into it.

 

[imagineero]

What is DED an abbreviation for?

 

[Steve NW WI]

What is DED an abbreviation for?

Dutch Elm Disease - wiping out Elms across the US since the 70's.

 

[isaacvent]

It sounds like yours is in better shape then mine. I just bid one last week. All the bark is falling off in big sheets and it didn't grow a single leaf this year. According to the homeowner it was alive last summer. Most of it can be dropped in the yard but there are 3 limbs over the house/deck that need to come off first. They are small,3-4" and about 12' long but I have to do a bit of climbing to get to them because they are just out of reach of the pole saw. I have it on the schedule for Saturday, I hope it doesn't get too exciting

 

[imagineero]

I don't think we have DED in aus, but then we don't have many elms either so I guess it follows.

 

[old_soul]

Is it flagging yet? What makes you suspect ded?

Elms are tough trees when still alive

 

[treesmith]

I've seen a few around Melbourne but not lots. England used to be covered in them, now there were a few in protected areas like on the south coast of England and in areas of Scotland where the cold kills most things. Otherwise, they'd get to a certain age and the beetles bore in, fungus spreads and dead young Elm

 

[stltreedr]

It sounds like yours is in better shape then mine. I just bid one last week. All the bark is falling off in big sheets and it didn't grow a single leaf this year. According to the homeowner it was alive last summer. Most of it can be dropped in the yard but there are 3 limbs over the house/deck that need to come off first. They are small,3-4" and about 12' long but I have to do a bit of climbing to get to them because they are just out of reach of the pole saw. I have it on the schedule for Saturday, I hope it doesn't get too exciting

We keep a close eye on DED Elms and Hypoxylon canker Oaks at the utility. I think you will be fine if the tree is still green. In the case above, with the tree being completely dead for 1 year, large limbs tend to break out even under normal weather conditions. I have no data to back it up, but I believe that fungal diseases make the trees break out differently than other types of ailment/ death.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

+1 on the hypoxylon oaks, sketchy brittle wood. Been some of my scariest trees, you can't trust a thing up there, and if you're falling 'em it's brute force. No holding wood at all.

 

[Oldmaple]

It sounds like yours is in better shape then mine. I just bid one last week. All the bark is falling off in big sheets and it didn't grow a single leaf this year. According to the homeowner it was alive last summer. Most of it can be dropped in the yard but there are 3 limbs over the house/deck that need to come off first. They are small,3-4" and about 12' long but I have to do a bit of climbing to get to them because they are just out of reach of the pole saw. I have it on the schedule for Saturday, I hope it doesn't get too exciting

I have my doubts it was alive last year. Bark falling off in sheets doesn't happen in a year. Elm is usually pretty good for a couple of years though. Just stay conservative.