Cabling the Cracking Maple

[Awsomeclimber]

This tree is in a school yard with a neat set of bench seats all the way around it.
Its the "lunch room".

Note the previous signs of failure. Granted it should never of come out of a nursery, let alone be planted, but now its there, do i walk past it and say nothing, go down the back and just quote on the removal they asked me in about..

Or mention the well known and obvious faults in it and suggest i wouldent like my kids sitting under it (if they went to that school) ..Not a good distance shot of it, but heres my latest can of worms!

 

[treelooker]

do i walk past it and say nothing, go down the back and just quote on the removal they asked me in about.

Poor form, true, but why not quote on support and reduction?

sad commentary on our profession, that folks think that the only one who can solve tree problems is Basil Kutz.

 

[NeTree]

That's mighty harsh, dude. Your lack of professionalism surprises me.

Whether you like it or not, a good basal pruning is sometimes the best route.

Now in that schoolyard tree... I'd advocate a good cabling and reduction plan, and I bet that tree will do just fine.

 

[treelooker]

I was talking about the school people who called him for a removal quote instead of repair.

Whether you like it or not, a good basal pruning is sometimes the best route..

Sure, I see those every day.
.

 

[NeTree]

Exactly... you like to act in the best interest of the tree, sure... but we ultimately work for people, too. And in this case... you know as well as I do that if little Jenny gets her head cracked by a tree that was "questionable", little Jenny's parents are going to sue the shit out of the school. So of course they called for a removal.

You must have perspective, as well. After all, just like your tree at the start of the thread, we're not talking about a four hundred year old historic tree or a virgin timber forest here.

 

[treelooker]

if little Jenny gets her head cracked by a tree that was "questionable", little Jenny's parents are going to sue the shit out of the school. So of course they called for a removal.

And of course they would be open to other mitigation if it was presented the right way.

Tree looks high value due to size and location. They don't have to be unique specimens to be worth a little tree care, and risk tolerance. It will be low risk after treatment. I've cared for a lot of schoolyard trees--principals know all about trees' contributions to the academic environment--they are NOT going to hire Basil Kutz if an arborist shows up instead.

 

[Awsomeclimber]

Thanks for the advice lads, I see its a can of worms here to??

Just a quick heads up.. they dident get me into look at this tree at all, they have some down the back of the place that had to go..

Im the one that points it out to her, i know they have a tight budget so i offer to bolt it in 3 places, then address a few other issues, "while we are here working"..

I dident put that part in the quote, they got some weekend hack into remove the trees down the back, they put ropes on them and droped them WHOLE smashing a heap of other trees, including the ones i wanted to "nip & tuc" alought i dident get the job, she insists i come in and do as i said i would, reduce some weight and bolt it.

It was a lot eaiser at the school MY kids go to.. I got them to build a massive cage for it and now no one sits under it, but still have the massive gum planted there over 100 years ago, win win win there but a PITA on the school here.

 

[NeTree]

Yeah Derek, I got that that wasn't the tree you were called for.

TL just can't get the fact that sometimes removal is the better option; and being willing to admit that, and go ahead with the basal cut, makes a much better arborist.

Nice to see they're willing to keep the tree. No doubt it "makes" the schoolyard.

 

[Awsomeclimber]

They dident realize anything was/is wrong with it and think its the best thing in the place.

I dont think she liked it when i pointed out "no one has ever looked at trees here before"

 

[Al Smith]

Say folks we are compairing onions to sardines here .

The first tree was a soft maple ,cracked in the crotch and rotten inside .The second tree shows signs of splitting but hasn't blown it's guts yet but will in time if something isn't done to prevent it .

 

[TC3]

Sometimes it takes an extreme point of view to get people to look at the middle ground. I think that Guy offers his perspective out of passion for his beliefs, but also to compel us to reconsider our stance on certain issues. I'm all for it.
My posts were voicing a certain frustration I feel at society's need for a 'quick fix' to tree problems, and it seems like cabling is one of the ways we placate them. Plant (plug in) a poor specimen in the wrong spot (don't forget to strap it to the ground so it doesn't blow over) and ignore it for 20 years, then ask me to wave a magic wand over it ? There's better ways to spend our time & energy then to analyze whether ansi standards will hold up in court or offering too-little-too-late for trees that have been ignored.

 

[Al Smith]

Just a fact of life with a maple tree .If the things are grown in an urban environment with no competiton for sunlight they spread out like a hens ass .

A big old fat canopy puts a tremendous stain on the crotch .Nearly every maple will crotch out in it's growth at some point .The soft ones are the worst .

They planted these things about the 1900's or so in many cities to provide fast growing shade trees . Here it is about 100 years later and they are providing employment for tree trimmers . They do hard prunes on the things but ultimently most are removed because they in fact become a hazard to life and property . A dangerous tree is nothing but a large weed .

 

[treelooker]

"TL just can't get the fact that sometimes removal is the better option"

Not so; I condemn and remove trees all the time; after some assessment instead of automatically. If exaggerating my approach is the only way to justify yours, that doesn't say much for yours.

"There's better ways to spend our time & energy then offering too-little-too-late for trees that have been ignored.

Cabling cracked trees may not be as good as lifelong proactive mtc, but it is not too little nor too late for this one, if the owner says so. Removal is a waste of time and energy and the client's money if arboriculture will work for them.

 

[NeTree]

TC, no sweat... and we wouldn't have him any other way.

 

[treelooker]

Extremism in the defense of arboriculture is no vice.

Thanks Barry G.

 

[Al Smith]

Oh I'm not saying that on some trees you can save with a cable or a bolt .Fact Is I bolted one of my dads favorite apple trees together with a 24 "DA bolt and pine tarred the crack in the crotch .It held about 10 years before it fell victum to an ice storm .But that tree was in an orchard ,not likely to bonk somebody in the noggin or crash on top of a '65 Mustang .

 

[Mike Maas]

Oh I'm not saying that on some trees you can save with a cable or a bolt .Fact Is I bolted one of my dads favorite apple trees together with a 24 "DA bolt and pine tarred the crack in the crotch .It held about 10 years before it fell victum to an ice storm .But that tree was in an orchard ,not likely to bonk somebody in the noggin or crash on top of a '65 Mustang .

If the two halves are supported to each other, how can one half fail? The cable of attachment would need to fail, or both halves would need to come down together.
Are you suggesting that Guy is incompetent? That he uses substandard cables? LOL!
I do wonder why he drew the cable location so low, maybe he forgot about the 2/3s rule, but there doesn't look like anything in his picture that would make this an unusual or undoable cable job.

Lastly, any tree could fail, even one without an obvious flaw. Cabled properly, it should be no more "likely" to bonk anyone or any car than any other tree growing over a road.

 

[SkwerI]

Welcome back, Mike. Good to see you around.

 

[Mike Maas]

Thanks Skwerl, I've been around, just spending a bit less time online. The chance to question Guy's expertise inspired me to post.

 

[No_Bivy]

 

[NeTree]

Good to read ya, Mike. Glad you popped in. =)

 

[treelooker]

The chance to question Guy's expertise inspired me to post.

Yeah that always did motivate you...pink boards!

2/3 "rule" was bent to get it in under the fork. I expect to put it in saturday, if it looks as doable as the pic shows, and i fit it in the neighborhood's budget..:roll:

 

[NeTree]

2/3 "rule" was bent to get it in under the fork.

It's neither unusual nor bad practice to sacrifice some height in the cable placement to gain better structural support for it.

 

[treelooker]

It's neither unusual nor bad practice to sacrifice some height in the cable placement to gain better structural support for it.

Well Allrighty then!

 

[treesandsurf]

So you've got a tree that has a widening crack at the base and it's been over a week, what's up looker? When is this shite going down? let's see some pics and get this thing safely cabled down

jp