Basking Ridge Oak Removal Begins?

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treelooker

treelooker

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This was the saddest aerial inspection I have ever done. A fruitless search for signs of arboreal life.
I'm surprised they are talking about taking the whole thing down. Leaving the bottom 20' as a vine prop seemed like a good idea.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/17/n...prod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share

Nice to see the tree's story conveyed accurately. Good work by Rob Gillies explaining what finally did the old girl in.

{the tree responded to the initial “heat stress” by closing off the pores in the rings deep inside, behind the bark. “These shut down, so it doesn’t transpire,” he said. “Then it was inundated” by almost 12 hours of heavy rain. “The roots were soaking because it couldn’t process the water,” he said.}
 
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o aND Dear Editor,

It was good to read James Barron's report on the Basking Ridge Oak (600-year-old-oak-tree-finally-succumbs). In early August I climbed and inspected the tree together with Mr. Gillies, and wrote the final report. The article told the tree's story well, but for one small detail.

Old white oak trees typically respond to heat and drought by closing off their pores to conserve water. The pores (stomata) in the leaves regulate transpiration. Trees can also plug up vessels in "the rings deep inside, behind the bark" to prevent the spread of disease, but this process is not a response to drought. The article was right on the ultimate result: the tree died because it could not process a sudden influx of water after a period of drought.

Thanks to the Times for covering the passing of this historic tree. For more information on the diagnosis and prognosis, see historictreecare.com.

*****************************
 
Is it a common sight in this area with this Oak to grow 75ft over 500 years then put on 25ft in its last 100?

Most very old oaks I encountered in the UK did most of their Height in the first 300 to 400 years then grew very slowly upwards after that.
 
How did you guys come to this conclusion that the tree died because of it's inability to process the surge of water?

jp:D
 
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  • #8
That conclusion came from the pattern of dieback and advancement of hypoxylon and armillaria, and previous experience with white oaks subject to sudden summer flooding.

That, and the total lack of any other cause that fit the evidence.
 
Seems plausible, but on the other hand, hadn't the tree likely withstood the same scenario many times before over several hundred years?
 
Could be, but perhaps combined with age and other stressors (drought) the last flooding was one event too much?
 
treemender said:
Is it a common sight in this area with this Oak to grow 75ft over 500 years then put on 25ft in its last 100? Most very old oaks I encountered in the UK did most of their Height in the first 300 to 400 years then grew very slowly upwards after that.
Click to expand...

This was an old tree but the above observation is relevant. Our desire to do good is often foiled by a lack of understanding of what is actually needed.
 
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  • #14
No soil treatments in recent history that I know of.

That 100' datum was erroneous.

Site conditions had changed over the years. Less root area, different hydrology.
 
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  • #16
Yup. The hydrology changes were telling. I hope to get the report released soon; interesting story to tell.

The NYTimes did not publish my letter, or a correction of any kind. :(
 
^lol
I like to think we do controlled demolition every day minus the explosives tho I would love to blow up some of the nasties I have encountered as of late.
 
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