Sap from stress?

[beastmaster]

I was removing two big leaders off a stone pine. It had already lost one leader and a codominant leader also broke out leaving a ugly half leader. I limbed the split formally codominant leader and took out a small top and left it at about 80ft. I put a pulley in it to maybe use later on a leader that bent outward and up over the neighbors house. There was no drop zone.
The leader over the neighbors house was maybe 3 feet thick and had a 45 deg. bend to horizontal snaking out 40 ft then upward. I didn't trust either this leader or the one I had the pulley in above it, so I ran the bull-line throu the pulley off the leader above, to another pulley off the leader over the neighbors house, hoping the weight would be distributed over both leaders when I took the end off over the neighbors house. When I made my cut I took a pretty good ride and I heard a loud pop somewhere behind me.
Later after lunch I noticed at the back side of the .bend hundreds of small beads of sap coming out from the bark that weren't there earlier. Could the wood at the bend been compromised?
Is that a sign the compression wood shattered? Other then small beads of of sap there is no signs of damage.
We took the tree down to the hight of one of the broken leaders. After seeing this tree lose several tons of wood no one wanted to live under those big leaders, The bend Is still left but only supporting several large branches that make up the new top.
Did that pop come from something in the bend? It just has me thinking. Anyone have any theories?

 

[david miller]

maybe taking weight off the leader allowed the tension wood (top back side) to compress slightly pushing the sap out, if im reading this correct just a guess

 

[imagineero]

Did you try offering the tree a cold beer? I felt sapped from stress last week and it worked wonders for me.

Photos help a lot.... kinda hard to have any meaningful discussion without seeing the tree.

Shaun

 

[Ms2004life]

Yeah have had that before it seems that when load is put on a leader like that smal cracks occur (the noise you heard) we have many topped trees here that have grown again for over a decade branches become leader and don't have the strength in the stucture to handle theyre new job. Generally that is as bad as it gets but on occasion they will split right open i will some times put my climbing line in a nearby tree rather than trust the one im in if its possible or tie it low and use a dynamic rope which will stretch if i fall.