Boy Scout Felling Merit Badge.

[southsoundtree]

On my honor

I will do my best

To do my duty to the trees

and the patrons of the Parks;

and to obey the Scout Law;

To keep myself physically strong,

mentally awake, and morally straight.

Cottonwood that has started failing. 7' DBH. Over campsites and only road/ walkway to 1/2 of the park, next to the Hwy 101 bridge. One large trunk failed in a previous storm, leaving a hollow stump. Cottonwoods are known for large limb failure, SLD.
Previously, on a residential job of mine, a 24" limb failed during a still, warm night, just missing the house.
This was beaver chewed on the river side, and very rotten between the buttress roots.
Net lean was toward several campsites (toward right in the pictures). Huge limbs above campsites and to a lesser, but still significant degree over road/ walkway.

I dropped it in the river, about 45 degrees off the lean. Habitat improvement for salmon. Zero clean-up, too, aside from cutting the whiskers of the butt and stump.

 

[Daniel]

and they thought I was just kidding about the boy scout thing..

Nice fall... that is quite a hinge you got there... care to share your thought about making it like that???

 

[unatool]

Only the Parks Service gets to drop trees in the river...

 

[guymayor]

Cottonwood that has started failing? How was it failing?

Cottonwoods and dozens of other species are known for large limb failure, SLD, when branches are overextended. Reduction pruning prevents SLD--what a climbing/pruning demo that could have been for the scouts! Installing raptor and other habitat, etc. etc.

On my honor, I will do my best, To do my duty to the trees--by not killing them needlessly. Paul Bunyan strike again.

Not being a piscatologist, I gotta wonder how that improves salmon habitat. I've heard pf rivers being cleared of trash like that because it blocked their migration.

Nice solid looking trunk there. zero salvage value? Bad forestry AND arbo.

Sorry to rag on ya sean but that seems (from across the continent, and ignorant of your assignment) to be a waste of a large environmental asset based on a sketchy risk assessment. (

 

[Frax]

I'll hazard a guess that the Parks Service or whoever is responsible for the tree and public safety would have the policy of not taking on much risk in situations with significant targets.
They may not have been willing to mitigate risk any other way. Which is not to say that other options did not exist, but perhaps not acceptable in this situation to the decisionmakers.

That was one bigass tree. It now has a different role to play in the environment than it had the day before.

 

[oceans]

Now that what's done is done, I wonder if it would be beneficial to the general knowledge base to dissect that stump. By cutting another cross section a bit lower, through the decay, you could learn how well or poorly the xylem resisted the spread of decay. Also, by inspecting wall 4, you could estimate or even pinpoint when the injury occurred.

 

[unatool]

zero salvage value.

Paper?
bad firewood?
= alot of energy to make nothing.

Let it rot back into the earth.
(Also, yes Guy - it is good fish Habitat here in the PNW. Remember, us humans clean everything up... used to be lots of trees in the rivers.)

 

[robinia]

Treebuzz calender shot:

Nice drop Sean.

 

[southsoundtree]

[ QUOTE ]
and they thought I was just kidding about the boy scout thing..

Nice fall... that is quite a hinge you got there... care to share your thought about making it like that???

[/ QUOTE ]

Cut from both sides. Big bar didn't reach through. Cut up hinge on one side with smaller bar, then cut up toward the hinge on the other side with big bar, it started creaking and popping and moving. Time to get out of there.

 

[southsoundtree]

[ QUOTE ]
Only the Parks Service gets to drop trees in the river...

[/ QUOTE ]

Could be.

I scanned the required Hydraulics permit for putting it in the river. A requirement. The ranger and the higher-ups dealt with the specifics of it.

They (Parks and Fish Unlimited (or some such conservation org)have just recently done a lot of work in the middle of the river channel- an engineered log jam http://www.dnrc.mt.gov/wrd/water_op/floodplain/streambank_course/engineered_log_jams.pdf.

 

[southsoundtree]

[ QUOTE ]
Cottonwood that has started failing? How was it failing?


Cottonwoods and dozens of other species are known for large limb failure, SLD, when branches are overextended. Reduction pruning prevents SLD--what a climbing/pruning demo that could have been for the scouts! Installing raptor and other habitat, etc. etc.

On my honor, I will do my best, To do my duty to the trees--by not killing them needlessly. Paul Bunyan strike again.

Not being a piscatologist, I gotta wonder how that improves salmon habitat. I've heard pf rivers being cleared of trash like that because it blocked their migration.

Nice solid looking trunk there. zero salvage value? Bad forestry AND arbo.

Sorry to rag on ya sean but that seems (from across the continent, and ignorant of your assignment) to be a waste of a large environmental asset based on a sketchy risk assessment. (

[/ QUOTE ]


The 3' hollow trunk on the front side of the tree had failed toward the road/ walkway.


Reduction pruning is a luxury of residential work and significant trees in significant places. There are two people to take care of about 80 state parks in western WA. People like to sue the state, too, so that is another factor that we deal with.
"So, Mr. Kroll, are you telling the court that a large trunk failed, and there was a 3' wide segment of the root collar that was dead and decaying?" I'd prefer to avoid that.

We do have a hazard evaluation system.

The tree doesn't have to be removed to have value. "Salvaging" is an extractive process. Coarse woody debris in and out of the riverbed has value.

There probably aren't mills set up to deal with that size tree. State Parks generally doesn't/ can't sell logs due to lots of requirements. It would be nice at times, but many of the trees we remove are left in place to decay/ cycle nutrients/ continue on as another part of the ecosystem.


It would have been great for autopsy purposes to cut it lower. We often cut trees high because there is less decayed wood. I think it would have showed some interesting decay lower down.

 

[southsoundtree]

[ QUOTE ]

Sorry to rag on ya sean but that seems (from across the continent, and ignorant of your assignment) to be a waste of a large environmental asset based on a sketchy risk assessment. (

[/ QUOTE ]

Rag on, its good for people to root for the trees.

Makes for discussion.

 

[unatool]

glad you are cool.
I watch this post get hot, people must be bored.

I kill trees all the time. Been a long time since it was w/o reason. (I shy away from the "cut down the Fir tree so I can add onto my garage for my kids porsche" jobs)

 

[guymayor]

"The 3' hollow trunk on the front side of the tree had failed toward the road/ walkway. "

Looks like a separate tree.

"Reduction pruning is a luxury of residential work and significant trees in significant places. There are two people to take care of about 80 state parks in western WA. "

How long would ascending and bombing rangy ends take? 2-3 hours?

"People like to sue the state, too, so that is another factor that we deal with.
"So, Mr. Kroll, are you telling the court that a large trunk failed, and there was a 3' wide segment of the root collar that was dead and decaying?" I'd prefer to avoid that."

We all would, but even dealing with low risk tolerance, there are alternatives. i've pruned and left urban trees with basal decay like that--well, not 3', but a greater %, and with less vigorous woundwood. Woundwood growth is often as significant as decay in TRA. No cross-examination nightmares

"We do have a hazard evaluation system."

aka TRA, okay...What is it; can you share that?

"The tree doesn't have to be removed to have value."

Definitely--it had a lot more standing and living than laying and rotting! It will be a fun balance beam for the scouts, though...good opportunities for herpetological studies and interaction, as well!

"Salvaging" is an extractive process. Coarse woody debris in and out of the riverbed has value."

That MT link did not open but i'll take your word for that. I've dumped pine tops in my own pond for habitat (SWAGguess).

"There probably aren't mills set up to deal with that size tree."

Same here--one shortwooder here quarters big logs lengthwise for pulp. lots of shavings, and lots of time.

"It would have been great for autopsy purposes to cut it lower. We often cut trees high because there is less decayed wood. I think it would have showed some interesting decay lower down."

I think it would have shown some cool compartmentalization.

Was the tree north of the campsite?

 

[boreality]

Most of the trees came down and the ecology was damaged when the unnessesary campground was developed. The damage is already done and it was just a matter of time before someone like me is called in to finish the proccess. My concern would be the interruption of wildlife corridors along the river. Next stop...riverfront condos, then the "real arborists" can come in and do preservation work.

 

[boreality]

A book that best describes the relation between salmon and trees is, Tree: A Life Storey by David Suzuki and Wayne Grady. It might fill in some blanks for anyone that thinks trees are a stand alone organism.

 

[dylanclimbs]

Nice post, Boreality.
A nice dose of REALITY!

 

[unatool]

Does Suzuki's book on trees / salmon refer to their relationship?
I.E. - how the rivers used to be full of returning salmon, that died and rotted into the soil. Obviously, the trees were taking nutrients from this source. Insert mankind and the need for ever-expanding protein sources (in pace with over population) - all the salmon get picked off before getting back up to spawn.
Now, they figured out that the plants have been affected by the loss of the part of the system... Less nutrients available to trees.

- that is how I remember the story. Been a while since I got to sit down a read a Suzuki book.

 

[guymayor]

[ QUOTE ]
Most of the trees came down and the ecology was damaged when the unnessesary campground was developed. The damage is already done ...

[/ QUOTE ]

Good point; pulling back and looking at background and site history gives some essential context. The scouts might have a different idea on the necessity of the campground, though.

The changes to the site may be done; nothing can be easily managed in the short term to reverse that.

In reality, the damage to the tree--root damage, basal wound, could be managed by means beyond felling, depending on the objective. Still looks like 2-3 aerial hours every 5-7 years to manage it responsibly, and retain the ecological and human benefits of the living tree. Just one view, 3,000 miles away.

"Now, they figured out that the plants have been affected by the loss of the part of the system... Less nutrients available to trees."

More good context, even broader and deeper. What's the answer--return the fish parts other than the flesh back to the land, like the former inhabitants did? What do they do with the bones and guts now?

 

[southsoundtree]

Just in case the allusion is missed, the Boy Scout title is meant as a tongue in cheek joke.


Having a full day to prune one large tree would be great. I'd like to be able to do it, though there are significantly older trees that I'd prioritize in other high use areas, ones that are hundreds of years old. This tree, at times was putting on 1-2" of diameter per year, though it naturally slowed down over time.

It takes us 4 hours round trip just to get to that park from our shop. As I may have mentioned, our (two of us to do most all the technical work, and all of the aerial work) scope of work is to cover about 80 state parks across western Washington (lots of trees, lots of disease, lots of work).

Yesterday as an example, after we picked up our bucket truck from the repair shop (some things needed repair that we trouble-shooted, but were not able to fix ourselves, as part of our regular duties), we had to fell 16 dead/ dying doug-firs with root disease, half next to a powerline and private property, about 1.5 hours from our shop, while also searching for hazard trees, pruning needs, diseases, etc.
The day before, we were in another root disease pocket, and had to fell 14 hazard trees, two of which were uprooting and leaning toward a residence (amazing that the larger one, more uprooted, laying into the smaller one, more rotted) didn't push it over more). Both were tipped 10-15 degrees.

In an ideal world, I'd like to do a few things differently , but the situation is what it is, and probably more pro-active/ thorough than ever.


As far as failing-
I don't feel at liberty to discuss the inner workings, though I will say that the large basal wounding (approx. 1/4 of circumference or so), and proximity to immovable "targets" (bridge, roadway, walkway) is one red flag. This tree did drop a large limb off the "lean side" over/ near a closed campsite.
It showed some decay in the upper crown limbs, but most of it collapsed on impact, and we didn't have time to look into the whole tree too much that day.

My supervisor and I are big proponents of closing off sections of the park in favor of many big trees (along with other tree protection/ health measures), but do not have the final say on most/ all of these things. Treated as an individual tree, other things could have been done here, however in the overall context of our situation, it is what it is.

There goes my alarm, 5:58 am, time to head out the door. Three parks to visit today in the same vicinity. Probably 4 hours of travel time today out of our 10 hour day.





I'll be back up there in a few weeks and can try to get more pictures. Again, we often cut trees high on the stump to find better wood, whether they are larger or smaller.

We've had pretty "clean" looking wood on some stumps at a high cut, and been able to put our hand or foot into the butt of the tree about 12" below. Looking at the facecut from a distance doesn't reveal a lot, sometimes.



I might have some cottonwood pictures from other parks to show how well (haha) cottonwoods compartmentalize.