Meriplus giganteus

[stevebullman]

i wish i'd kept more photos in the past of failed beech trees....they are unpredictable at best

 

[AxeKnot]

[ QUOTE ]
Pruned a liriodendron Saturday with a Meripilus conk. I prescribed 10-15% reduction and soil work. Target rating not high.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, I see it all clearly now Guy!

You charge the client for the pruning and soil work now, then go back in a couple of years and charge them again for the removal.

You sneaky arborist.

Is that an ethical way to conduct your business?

The Meripilus is in the tree's system, you cannot remove it, soil work will damage the fibrous roots and further stress the tree.

The pruning will just create more stress on the tree!

I hope you can live with yourself.

 

[guymayor]

[ QUOTE ]

The Meripilus is in the tree's system, you cannot remove it, soil work will damage the fibrous roots and further stress the tree. I hope you can live with yourself.

[/ QUOTE ]But Axe, if I evict myself, where will I live? And who will be sleeping with my wife?

I'll just have to live with myself, sleeping very well, thank you. I cannot remove the Meripilus, true, but I can and must try to slow its spread and speed the tree's codit. Straightforward work, supported by research and science. The soil work is done with a pick or an airspade, very little disturbance to the fibrous roots. I share your concern about those.

"the trees that develop ustulina never prosper. they get thinned here and there and deadwooded but they inevitable come out. that being the case why waste time and money on them for 5 years when you could have them out and get a new tree in its place that much sooner?"

Steve, I agree, if decline is inevitable. Before we know that it is, did anyone do anything to the bottom half of the tree? If the people specifying the pruning that you do ignore the roots then they may indeed be wasting time and money. If they treat the whole tree, it may pay off. I've worked on some Quercus alba that had ustulina up and down the trunk 8 years ago and they are doing well.

O and Axe ps I don't do removals that big anymore, so no I would not be profiting off the trees' demise. Any time you want to dissect my ethics again, or administer the 3d or 4th degree interrogation, feel freely.

 

[stevebullman]

this particular site is layed with tarmac up to the base of the trees. its one of the biggest horse racing venues in the country in the world capital of horse racing. needless to say soil compaction is a major issue here. i did put forward the suggestion of paying the roots some attention but it fell on deaf ears
regardless i dont think that would do any good for a beech with ustulina

 

[guymayor]

Oh, I remember pics of that site from earlier threads. Trees looked pretty much ruined by paving. Wonder if the planners will think more next time. The book Trees and Development notes that beech is poor at codit, so it should have been no surprise.

 

[stevebullman]

unlikely guy......we did recommend they put in something more tolerant of the situation such as platanus

 

[guymayor]

yeah getting planners here to think about trees is a challenge too. And so the arborists get the mess and the spit work.

 

[AxeKnot]

[ QUOTE ]

I've worked on some Quercus alba that had ustulina(Kretschmaria) up and down the trunk 8 years ago and they are doing well.


[/ QUOTE ]

Really Guy? Tell me more about this please.

What height tree?
What age tree?
What was management plan?
Were the roots ok?

 

[guymayor]

What height tree?
30-60

What age tree?
guessing 40-80

What was management plan?
moderate rhizosphere conditions--stop overirrigating, mulch.

Were the roots ok?
strained from abuse but functioning

In the future I'll just post reports to obviate the inquisition. Axe I don't know if you're just skeptical in a healthy way or trolling sometimes.