Nice pruning

[Mark Chisholm]

We've been working in a park in Trenton that was designed by the designer who did Central Park in NYC. Nice trees. We held our TCC there a few times as well.

Here's a nice Black oak I did. The "ladder" I used here is 75'. /forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Here's a Pin oak that had a large lead break out (lower one) and a huge dead leader (top right). It will have a tough life a head of it.

That's Smokey doing the stuff the bucket won't reach. (over 75')

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Here's how it looked after I took the leads off.

And that's Smokey grabing the last deadwood in the top.

 

[tod_k]

Pruning large Oaks with no obsticles is always good fun.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

You better believe it! That park has a bunch of oaks, ash, tulip, beech... they are all nice sized trees. At least a dozen over 100'. What fun.

 

[guymayor]

Gotta ask; why'd the leads come off instead of being shortened? You say "It will have a tough life a head of it."

I agree. Big wounds on trunk bound to rot, big leads sprawling in other directions with no damping effect from the 2 big ones that got whacked = Big Trouble. General rule after damage is crown cleaning first: cut back only as far as the first good node.

Nature took too much off already; why take off more than you have to?

 

[Roger_Barnett]

I concur Guy...what say ya, Mark...otics?

Sorry, that was a nickname for an old ski buddy..boy did he and his buds do a lot of weed... Mark and I skiied a line at Crystal that is 48 degrees steep for 700 vertical feet, back in '82. It was never open, now the whole face is a permanent closure, shame, it is awesome skiing at the right time. His family owns a Ford dealership, now I hear his voice on radio commercials...


die to ski, ski to die...

 

[guymayor]

Man I'd never ski under the influence; i'm freaked out enough taking on the right coast version of double black diamonds without any whacky terbacky in me.

Man, I sound old and cautious. Bo-ring, or at least brittle-boned.

 

[Phil]

This would be my theory: its in a park which has people. A large damaged/dead lead which is only reduced in legnth will undoubtedly become the first thing to decay. Several years later you now have a large, structurally decayed ex-leader with potential to fail. This become a hazard to people using the park. Also, it is high up in the tree and future assesment of integrity or risk would be hard to accomplish. Future work would have to be done for sure so why not just finish the job now? The tree seems to have been relatively open grown for a long time and should have suitable reaction wood to contain any forces placed upon it by wind. (assuoming there are no trunk defects or other weak brach unions) Also, I think the majority of the dampening effect is a result of foliage supporting, smaller (1-5"), spreading branches. I am sure the rest of the large lead would offer some dampening but I would think its effect would be greatly reduced.
What you all think

 

[guymayor]

[ QUOTE ]
A large damaged/dead lead which is only reduced in legnth will undoubtedly become the first thing to decay. Several years later you now have a large, structurally decayed ex-leader with potential to fail.

[/ QUOTE ] phil I have a lot of doubt about your scenario. The lead would not inevitably become a hazard. Cuts made to good nodes on branches can close; big cuts on old trunks never do.

[ QUOTE ]
This become a hazard to people using the park. Also, it is high up in the tree and future assesment of integrity or risk would be hard to accomplish. Future work would have to be done for sure so why not just finish the job now?

[/ QUOTE ] As it is now, the trunk rot (which is MORE inevitable that rot from a reduced branch)and remaining leads sprawled may make for a much greater hazard over time. Assessment can often be adequately done with binoculars. It takes a long time for a tree that age to grow significant reaction wood. Future work will be needed on all urban trees; restoration thinning on that lead may not be needed for a decade or so. The job is never finished, so what's the rush to remove whole leads?

 

[Phil]

If the entire lead is dead, then wouldn't the next good node be at the trunk? I know it is a lead and hence has no branch collar so a cut to remove the whole lead would wound trunk wood (not the ideal option). But like i said, if the whole thing is dead (I'm assuming it is based on Mark's post) I would remove it to the trunk. Another question I have is what caused the lead to die? Senescence? Disease? Insects?

And I agree, tree work is never finished. I love job security /forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Demo]

I tell all people this do not judge someone on a job site unless you are right next to them. IT might not have been completely dead. if it had decay around any part of the main wood I would have taken it too.

 

[guymayor]

If the whole thing was dead, then off with its head. Yeah, hard to see many details from here.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Sorry Guy. I know that the pics don't show all. My take on it is this, the upper lead that you see that looks like a stubbed off "Y" was copmpletely dead. I stubbed it before I came down for a bigger saw. That's when I took the pic. So, I see no reason to leave it. Anyone disagree?

The lower stub is what failed. It was rather dry and rotted internally, but was "alive" before it failed. I just didn't think that the 10' nub would help much since it had no laterals or even a single water sprout. Also, the superintendent wanted it removed. Do you disagree with this?

BTW, I'm not offended in the least by a question of what I post. Thanks for taking the time to comment. That;s how we all learn and share.

 

[guymayor]

Dead out it goes, rotted it depends on how much and by what. 30% by Xylaria, little problem. 30% by hypoxylon, bigger problem.

I thought you were da boss; who's super?

The superintendent and anybody may change their mind when they see pics of a cross-section of the lateral behind the break. If that's 70% solid maybe it should stay. Or 40% with codit, depending.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Super of the parks. It might have been 70%dry/decay internally.

 

[guymayor]

[ QUOTE ]
Super of the parks. It might have been 70%dry/decay internally.

[/ QUOTE ] 705, that's too much, agreed.

I've had challenges working with managers and superintendents before. Most will accept change orders to contracts based on what is found in the tree. Sometimes it's specced to keep something that should be cut, sometimes vice versa.

More paper has to be pushed to change purchase orders, but it can be worth the hassle.

On big declining trees like that, have you ever tried to sell paclobutrazol and reeot invigoration?

 

[Mark Chisholm]

This park uses another "fert" company for all of their apps.

 

[STLTreeclmbr]

Heard about the devils coach, thats a bummer!

 

[Mark Chisholm]

[ QUOTE ]
Heard about the devils coach, thats a bummer!

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't rub it in STL! /forum/images/graemlins/smirk.gif To be honest with you, I think that he made the right decision for him. Your health and happiness is worth much more than any job.