Strength of scyamore

[PurdueJoe]

Hey all,
Started collecting those eggs this week and a thought entered my mind. How strong is this branch?? /forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif So the question is what is the smallest branch most of you would trust on a scyamore?
Joe

 

[Toparboring]

With my wieght of 165 I would trust a healthy 2 inch branch

 

[NickfromWI]

Depends what you're talking about...

-a branch to stand on
-the diameter of the main stem you're tied in to
-the size of branch sticking out of the stem you're tied in to...just the one holding up your rope

 

[PurdueJoe]

Nick,
D) all of the above

 

[Peter McS]

sycamores can be quite brittle, especially when the sap is rising so take care.

 

[stevebullman]

pete....they're probably talking about london planes mate.


i'd probably liken the strength to that of beech....pretty tough stuff.

 

[Peter McS]

sycamores are my staple diet. Yes they are strong in many respects and make fantastic flooring, but you can easily rip a inch + branch off at this time of year, and i have stopped pulling moderate back leaning trees over cos they will not stay on the stump long enough.

 

[TreeDr]

Make sure you wear a dust mask while pruning or chipping. The pollen will make you gag.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Platinus occidentalis (I think) is what they are talking about.

Joe,

Trick question- don't tie into a branch. Tie in around the branch, but in the stem. If it's vertical, you can go much smaller than a hrizontal crotch. Use caustion and climb safe.

 

[PurdueJoe]

Sorry I should have used the latin, my dendro prof would flip out knowing I didn't! But yes platinus occidentalis is what we call the American sycamore. Thanks for all the info.

Joe

 

[stevebullman]

over here thats an oriental plane. platanus acerifolia is what i thought you called the standard sycamore

 

[frans]

[ QUOTE ]
Make sure you wear a dust mask while pruning or chipping. The pollen will make you gag.

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you sure you are not talking about Anthracnose? The pollen from the 'dingle' balls is actually fairly large particles and in a healthy tree I have never had anyone complain or experianced myself any problems with working in and around the trees.
However, when the tree is infected with Anthracnose, it is a tottally different story. Look for a whiteish powder on the leaves, leaf curling, two seperate leaf flushes in the spring (because the first leaf flush usually mostly falls off), and staining and curling in the leaves. Raking or chipping usually stirs up the fungus the most. Very irritating to the mucus membranes.
Usually more Anthracnose in a wet spring cycle. Not usually fatal to the tree. In fact I have never seen a sycamore die from it.
Frans

 

[trees4est]

Sycamore leaves are very fuzzy when young, and the hairs are very irritating. I don't like to work on them with leaves on, especially early in the season, because they cause so much discomfort.
As for the wood, here's the Wood Anatomy site synopsis: "It is classified as moderate in weight, hardness, stiffness, shock resistance, strength in bending" which sounds pretty right to me. Like many species, it might have regional or latitude differences. They used to get pretty dang huge in Indiana, maybe they still do.

 

[glens]

They do.

 

[simonOrourke]

american translations! Sycamore in the UK is acer pseudoplatanus, not platanus americana or occidentalis. very different trees. the letter is nicer to carve tho

climb it
fell it
carve it
sell it

 

[simonOrourke]

I meant latter

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Sycamore maple?

 

[simonOrourke]

yes. don't know which was called sycamore first tho.