- Location
- Titirangi, Auckland, NZ
Re: oldoakman,
Danielson, firstly great job with the video
Since I am on the other side of the globe I'll limit my comments to how I would approach such a job if it were here.
I agree with Guy, ensure both you and the homeowner agree on what it is you are being paid to provide...know the scope of the works...and if they are willing to be led by what you feel comfortable in providing then I would be giving them a written assessment of the condition of the tree, and provide them with options that (based on the results of your investigations) could enable its retention, whilst both managing the current health and stability issues and improve those critical aspects.
Others have basically laid it out for you so sorry if it sounds like parroting what has already been said.
You certainly need to be able to examine the root crown, find the butress roots and assess their structural integrity, try to ascertain if they have been impacted by wood decay...If you can get the fungi identified then of course you should, soil tests are a given if the tree is to remain then you need to make sure the root and soil environment is as good as it can be.
We all know that storms are quite capable of demolishing even the most apparently healthy of trees, predicting which trees in a neighbourhood will be smashed and which will survive is something I would suggest is not effectively informed by any assessment system I have encountered.
For me how we advise tree owners on the stability of their trees during storm conditions has to be accompanied by a great many clearly stated limitations....yes wood decay fungi digest the very structures that give wood tissues their strength, but it is not always true to either percieve or describe the host tree as a passive subject through this process.
VTA provides us with the means to interpret how the tree is both currently responding to external and internal forces, and how it has responded up to this point. You have to rely on your experience of the particular species its tolerances etc, your knowledge of the specific conditions (including the variuos fungal and insect pressures) to form your view of the prognosis.
If there are options to mitigate an identified risk, then provide those to the tree owner...I entirely agree with both BB and Guy re the cabling, do not be put off by a perception of increased liability adhere to the BMPs, get some assistance if you feel too inexperienced in cable installations...collaboration and joining forces with other experienced Arborists is one of the greatest strengths of our profession, it is all about providing the best outcome for the tree owner and the tree.
Some very basic questions that I try to answer when providing advice to tree owners that are concerned with the risks from wind loading:
What is the health and structural status of the root crown and buttress roots?
Are there contributing negative impacts on the soil and root environment that could be effectively mitigated?
How exposed is the canopy of the tree, relative to the adjacent vegetation...urban forest around it?
How is the form and balance of the canopy and the branch architecture?
Is minor reduction in the length of limbs/height of the tree appropriate?...ie does the form of the canopy make reductions in live foliage practicable, given that a tree struggling with significant wood decay needs as much energy as possible being produced in its foliage.
Remember that it only takes a small reduction in length/height of a lever arm to significantly reduce the loading imposed on the limb by the force of the wind.
There are a great many local factors that could be relevant to how you progress, and what emphasis you end up placing on any one of the matters I have listed.
I am certainly not telling you the tree should definately stay but neither am I saying that based on the information you have provided that I believe the tree has to definately go....the RCX is critical in this, so is trying to establish just how extensive the decay is through the base of the stem...that potential fruiting body on the other side certainly needs to be carefully examined.
Danielson, firstly great job with the video
Since I am on the other side of the globe I'll limit my comments to how I would approach such a job if it were here.
I agree with Guy, ensure both you and the homeowner agree on what it is you are being paid to provide...know the scope of the works...and if they are willing to be led by what you feel comfortable in providing then I would be giving them a written assessment of the condition of the tree, and provide them with options that (based on the results of your investigations) could enable its retention, whilst both managing the current health and stability issues and improve those critical aspects.
Others have basically laid it out for you so sorry if it sounds like parroting what has already been said.
You certainly need to be able to examine the root crown, find the butress roots and assess their structural integrity, try to ascertain if they have been impacted by wood decay...If you can get the fungi identified then of course you should, soil tests are a given if the tree is to remain then you need to make sure the root and soil environment is as good as it can be.
We all know that storms are quite capable of demolishing even the most apparently healthy of trees, predicting which trees in a neighbourhood will be smashed and which will survive is something I would suggest is not effectively informed by any assessment system I have encountered.
For me how we advise tree owners on the stability of their trees during storm conditions has to be accompanied by a great many clearly stated limitations....yes wood decay fungi digest the very structures that give wood tissues their strength, but it is not always true to either percieve or describe the host tree as a passive subject through this process.
VTA provides us with the means to interpret how the tree is both currently responding to external and internal forces, and how it has responded up to this point. You have to rely on your experience of the particular species its tolerances etc, your knowledge of the specific conditions (including the variuos fungal and insect pressures) to form your view of the prognosis.
If there are options to mitigate an identified risk, then provide those to the tree owner...I entirely agree with both BB and Guy re the cabling, do not be put off by a perception of increased liability adhere to the BMPs, get some assistance if you feel too inexperienced in cable installations...collaboration and joining forces with other experienced Arborists is one of the greatest strengths of our profession, it is all about providing the best outcome for the tree owner and the tree.
Some very basic questions that I try to answer when providing advice to tree owners that are concerned with the risks from wind loading:
What is the health and structural status of the root crown and buttress roots?
Are there contributing negative impacts on the soil and root environment that could be effectively mitigated?
How exposed is the canopy of the tree, relative to the adjacent vegetation...urban forest around it?
How is the form and balance of the canopy and the branch architecture?
Is minor reduction in the length of limbs/height of the tree appropriate?...ie does the form of the canopy make reductions in live foliage practicable, given that a tree struggling with significant wood decay needs as much energy as possible being produced in its foliage.
Remember that it only takes a small reduction in length/height of a lever arm to significantly reduce the loading imposed on the limb by the force of the wind.
There are a great many local factors that could be relevant to how you progress, and what emphasis you end up placing on any one of the matters I have listed.
I am certainly not telling you the tree should definately stay but neither am I saying that based on the information you have provided that I believe the tree has to definately go....the RCX is critical in this, so is trying to establish just how extensive the decay is through the base of the stem...that potential fruiting body on the other side certainly needs to be carefully examined.
