Rog the tree topper strikes again, part deux

[rbtree]

Ouch!!!

Boy, it hurt to wreck a beautiful cedar...but this pic will give y'all and idea why we had to commit the dastardly deed...

"Hey, send me back that brain bucket, would ya?" That'll teach me to hang upside down with the chin strap thingie off, eh?

 

[rbtree]

Paging Graeme, the man down under ......or trying to look him in the eye...

 

[rbtree]

Check out the giant chessboard! Awesome landscape too, some pics will follow.

The client's house is on the other side of the fence, and is maybe 60 feet from the tree, now 75 feet tall. I hated to top it, but with that huge scar and cavity, the risk was too great to take. The tree had stood for 8 years since the other leader split off, so I'm sure it will be fine now, as long as it is closely monitored and maintained evey few years.

I wish I could have shaped the upper branches further in, but saw no viable place to bring them in further than I already had done.

This was not my job, as another arborist buddy who has us do his big work called me in. But I think the decision to save the tree was the correct one. I'd love to hear comments from everyone. More pics coming soon.

 

[rbtree]

Check out the size of this wound! and the seam and depressed area above! The more I look at it, the more I second guess.....

 

[rbtree]

A closeup:

 

[SilverBlue]

Good work as usual RB, where's the after shot?

 

[rbtree]

Blue,

check out the third pic...


and here's some more:

I'm tired, I wuz up till 2 am last night editing pics and posting prattle.....

 

[rbtree]

I had a small drop zone, so I used two slings and caught the top. Then cut it in half and tossed 'er down. Later I swung/pulled a few branches with a speedline, to get them to clear the canopy below. Eli had to time slacking the line closely, so they would miss the deck and house 20 feet away. Almost routine....

It really hurt to top this tree..as well, it reminded me of bad memories of the topping we did back in the 70's and early 80's.

 

[SilverBlue]

You have to look at it this way, did you extent the life of the tree and prevent certain disaster? It’s not the same as topping a tree cause the customer wants height reduction for that view or some other lame reason. The real pain comes from fighting against topping not getting through to the home owner and seeing the tree mutilated by the local tree weasel a few weeks latter.

 

[MasterBlaster]

That tree will be around long after we're pushing up daisys....

Good job, rbtree!!!

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by rbtree
It really hurt to top this tree
** So this was a Western red cedar, Thuja plicata? Less rotresistant than Juniperus viginiana. Did you measure the hollow and gauge the activity of the decay before deciding how far to reduce it. Excavating decay while measuring the hollow simultaneously may slow rot by allowing more air and light, and removing shreds that trap water and spores and dirt and...Pic showd a big hole but it also showed good new callus.
Interesting article in JoA where callus and woundwood was found to be much tougher than ordinary wood and bark. Something to figure in before knowing how far down to bring it, eh?

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by RockyJSquirrel
you can consider where it should be topped to so that it will clear the house if it falls.

That defect looked severe enough for your plan, to base the mitigation on failure at that point, to be the right one. Still would like to see the "after" picture.

 

[rbtree]

Can you explain what you mean by after picture? I've posted two. If you mean in a few years, the tree will be quite lush. It will need thinning, both the lower canopy and the new top growth, and should be kept no more than 10 feet higher than it is. We could have brought the tree down to 55-60 feet, then it would not reach the house in the event of complete failure. But, the fact that the tree had lasted 8 years, and in an area that gets strong winds, coupled with red cedar's normal butt swell adding strength, led to the decision to cut it where we did.

Yes, Guy, the tree is callusing quite well. I was only hired to do the cutting. The cavity is typical of red cedar, little soft and wet wood. So I don't think there is much need to do any cavity work. The bottom part is jagged and kind of flat, likely the decay will spread downwards. But core decay is common in red cedar.
The left edge doesn't have nearly as much reaction wood forming. Plus there are a couple holes that go in quite a ways.

Yes that was a good JoA article.

What do you think of the idea of constructing a roof like shield, somewhat sealed to the trunk above the wound, and partway down, but open at the bottom, to allow air passage, but keep most water out?

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by rbtree
What do you think of the idea of constructing a roof like shield, somewhat sealed to the trunk above the wound, and partway down, but open at the bottom, to allow air passage, but keep most water out?

** I call that "capping", and i think it makes a lot of sense. I use old platform birdfeeders with roofs that the birds can use for a nest. Keep water dust and most important most spores out.
Especially for big wounds you just know will hollow.

 

[rbtree]

I just reread this thread...and remembered that I should tell Mark, my prime contractor bud, to discuss capping that wound with the customer.

I'm helping him with a three day pruning job this week (at 1400 -1600 per day for my three man crew) It is on the waterfront, for four or five multi-million dollar homes. Then, two weeks later, after all the brush is lined out, we'll drag it out the docks, where my floating Bandit 250 will chip the brush into a big container. Better than five years ago, when we manually loaded the container, and I diced darned near every square inch of the brush to compact it and fit the huge amount in.

 

[Stumper]

So what happens to the container?-Does it wind up in a shipment of supplies to Iraq?

How are you going to float the chipper? Rb's yacht-i.e. skanky raft of reject timber?

 

[rbtree]

Iraq? Thanks for the idea, Stumper!!


No, i've invented a cool anti gravity Levitator, works kind of like a gyroscope.. you know, like a Pleiadian beam ship....:alien:

 

[FBerkel]

RB,

Great pics. You asked for feedback, so here goes (with considerable respect for you):

The problem I see with topping anything that big is what if the aftercare never happens? 3 scenarios: 1) the property changes hands, new customer neglects to follow up. 2) Customer pretended to understand how important it was to follow up, but really didn't listen, and puts it on some sub-conscious back burner. 3) Customer becomes unable to afford after care, decides to take his chances.

There are probably many other scenarios leading to the same eventuality. The top ring of branches all curl up, competing madly for the top, meanwhile the cylinder of wood from the cut decays, and some day the tree fails at either the original weakness, or the one you introduced.

So, in twenty five years you're sitting on your retirement houseboat (converted from the floating chipper), sipping a Widmer, and here comes the mail boat with a certified letter.

If the tree had been replaced instead of topped, then the new one has twenty five years of growth on it, and the homeowner has long since had any second thoughts about replacing it.

Just my thoughts, again with respect.