Thoughts on SGR removal?

[Worthaug]

Just leave it alone, trees girdle themselves and each other all the time.

 

[ATH]

Just leave it alone, trees girdle themselves and each other all the time.

Agreed - especially when planted too deep.

However, the client would like to keep these trees.

 

[evo]

I’d guess they are salvageable.. I agree an air chisel won’t do you much good on a root, ive used them on stone and they are great for that. You’d likely just burry the chisel in wood, and get it stuck.

10” diameter isn’t much, so if major surgery is needed I’d certainly do it in stages. Take a day or two and go to your local green waste yard or where ever stumps go. Take a look at what they have in sight and get a feel for the number of buttress roots per species. Would you take a major scaffold limb off a 10” tree accounting for 30% of the crown? Why wouldn’t you do the same with a root?

I’m lucky where I can build a species data base by walking on the beach and observing drift wood.

If your going to the extent of giving these trees growth regulators to stimulate root growth, consider doing so preemptively. Juice the tree to stimulate root growth before you hack the roots back. It good for 3 years per does right? So shoot the trees up now, then cut the roots next year in the fall.

30$ per tree is insanely cheap. I’m looking at a RCX plus pruning job tomorrow for $800 and expect half a day

 

[ATH]

.... I agree an air chisel won’t do you much good on a root, ive used them on stone and they are great for that. You’d likely just burry the chisel in wood, and get it stuck.
.....

30$ per tree is insanely cheap. I’m looking at a RCX plus pruning job tomorrow for $800 and expect half a day

Air chisel worked like a dream! I'm sure I could have gotten it stuck if I wanted to...but I used it to "shave", not go straight in.

Like I said earlier, that is an abnormally low price, but it was just for initial exploration on numerous trees, not full repair, but I think it worked out well for both myself and the client. Every circumstance is different...

 

[Luzl78]

Air chisel worked like a dream! I'm sure I could have gotten it stuck if I wanted to...but I used it to "shave", not go straight in.

Like I said earlier, that is an abnormally low price, but it was just for initial exploration on numerous trees, not full repair, but I think it worked out well for both myself and the client. Every circumstance is different...

Sawzall would have worked well also. Good job,

 

[ATH]

I used the sawzall here too (and have burned through dozens of Sawzall pruning blades on roots over the years). Again, every circumstance is different and sometimes chisels can do what a sawzall can't. I've used hand chisels for years as well. Somebody at a workshop we did back in October asked about an air chisel - hadn't heard of or thought about that before for roots, so I tried. I'll be going back to that often! In fact, I bought a heavier duty one after that one job (more blows per second too...).

 

[Basswood]

I’ll have to get my job to get me one of those air chisels since I seem to have become to official root collar air spade guy. (I actually enjoy using the spade). was going to try and get a batter powered chisel to quicken things.

Looks like that one tree has some locking tree ties embedded. Wonder how deep in, and how much was engulfed.

 

[ATH]

Those ties came off easy - were not as deep as I feared and not badly embedded into cambium. Was pinched between the root and trunk.

An air chisel can be had for less than $20. A little more for low vibration and more blows per second. You will spend more on the regulator and hose (if you don't already have it). Oiler is optional...but was also cheap so why not.