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Re: [OM] IMG: Death of an Oak Tree

Subject: Re: [OM] IMG: Death of an Oak Tree
From: "Jim Nichols" <jhnichols@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:41:29 -0500
Hi Mike,

I went through the same mental searching, and could not come up with a good 
solution. Believe me, I hate to give up on any tree.  For the last several 
years, this one has suffered each summer as the leaves curled up and began 
to turn brown and fall.  Each year it has been worse.  The local power 
company has a state of the art instrument (I can't recall the name of it) 
that can provide a non-intrusive picture of the wood condition for 19 inches 
from the outer bark. I had them check two trees.  One was sound, and served 
as a good example of what a healthy tree should produce.  This one showed a 
hole from 13 to 18 inches from the outside, a 5 to 6 inch hole in the heart 
of the tree.  Because of its proximity to the house, and the prevailing 
storm winds, we decided to take it down.  The photo shows that the probe was 
pretty close in its presentation of the condition.

I am a retired engineer, and I agree with you on the strength of tubular 
structures.  However, this does not prevent a sick tree from dropping limbs 
on the house as the branches die, and does not provide peace of mind when 
severe windstorms approach from the direction that would drive the tree 
toward the center of the house.

We made a difficult choice, but felt it had to go.

Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <usher99@xxxxxxx>
To: <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 11:01 AM
Subject: [OM] IMG: Death of an Oak Tree


> Hmm,
> Perhaps arborcide not euthanasia of an old sick suffering tree.  Nice
> image, but not convinced it had to go.  Tubular structures
> are very strong and some dead heartwood may INCREASE resistance to
> falling in a gale.  Some heartwood gets clogged with resin and stuff
> and more subject to rot.  AFAIK, some decaying heartwood does not equal
> a decaying tree.
> Not sure I'd want a big 'ol tree with other problems hanging over my
> house, but the hairs on the back of my neck went up when I saw the
> image.
> I'd trust an arborist but not a tree removal company.
>
> A. Skeptical  Mike
>
>
>
>
> For more than two years, we have watched a large oak, very close to our
> house,
> gradually deteriorating.  Several weeks ago, I had the tree checked
> with a
> device that records the density of the wood.  I showed a hollow area
> near the
> center of the tree.  Since the usual southwest winds that we get during
> storms
> would bring the tree down on our house, we had it removed yesterday.
> The photo
> shows that, in the lower part of the trunk, the heart of the tree was
> gone.
>
> So, a tree that we have enjoyed for forty-two years is no more.
>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/OldNick/Oak+Tree.jpg.html
>
> Comments and critiques welcomed.
>
> Jim Nichols
> Tullahoma, TN USA
> --
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