I asked in passing awhile ago, but didn't get any bites. One of my locusts has loose bark still attached. This tree's on it's way out, but I want to keep it for the time being. I'll soon be climbing it to take a bit off the top(I'd have done it this weekend, but all my gear's at work), and do an inspection while I'm up there. It'll be fully srs cause I want to try all the gear in an easy straight climb, and I'm afraid if I use spurs, it'll take a lot of the bark off. That got me thinking about the role of unattached bark. The two possibilities I see are...
1: It's bad cause it provides a hiding place for insects/fungi/infection, and traps moisture against the stem encouraging rot.
2: It's good because it protects the stem from the elements, and possibly limits separation by keeping things from working against the edge.
Opinions? This is mainly in the context of a tree that doesn't have much life left, but I guess it could be extended to trees with *split bark and other anomalies.
*I have some questions regarding a walnut, but I have to get in the tree to get a good look, and take some pics. That'll be for another thread.
1: It's bad cause it provides a hiding place for insects/fungi/infection, and traps moisture against the stem encouraging rot.
2: It's good because it protects the stem from the elements, and possibly limits separation by keeping things from working against the edge.
Opinions? This is mainly in the context of a tree that doesn't have much life left, but I guess it could be extended to trees with *split bark and other anomalies.
*I have some questions regarding a walnut, but I have to get in the tree to get a good look, and take some pics. That'll be for another thread.