Cabling topped trees: how would you do it

[squisher]

Ha! That tree looks like it could use another hackjob to straighten it out some. Lol. Just a little more off the top please.

 

[stig]

Makes sense to me.

Guy, I have no idea what the rules are over there, but the park that I maintain has to be checked annually and a written report made for insurance reasons.
If one of the trees that I make a note about, with pictures, GPS coordinates and all, were to fail and whack someone, it would be my ass that was on the line 100%.

We had a really nasty sitiation 4 years ago:

A 200 year old horse chestnut dropped a large branch ( Summer branch drop, nothing to do with me, fortunately) on the tables where the scene riggers for the summer concert ( 15000 people) ate lunch.
Fortunately they had left the scene ( Pun intended) 20 minutes before.

One of the riggers is a friend of mine, and he told me that the branch would have hit several of them.

I know that isn't something that one can avoid, except by felling all the trees in the park, but it is a good example of the mayhem that can be caused, by being too nice towards bad trees.

Last year, DONG, the Danish oil and gas drilling company had their company excursion in the park. That was 19000 people.
Since they work on drilling rigs, they have a safety department.
I was asked to sign a piece of paper, stating that the park was "safe".

I managed to fiddle that around a bit, and get away with " As safe as we can make it, we're dealing with nature here" but if something had happened, my ass would have been toast.

Also, the tree in question is a butt ugly specimen, so I think Justin's suggestion has merit.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

For removal and replacement, how long will it take to grow that much shade back, in LA?

It is ugly, in some regards. Put your thumb in the view at the wound, obscuring it. The rest of the tree looks better than losing their possibly only significant shade tree (hard to tell from the pic). I have no idea what it is supposed to look like, but ugly might be better than nothing, so long as its reasonably safe.

Underplant? Remove in 10 years, or more?

 

[sotc]

Makes sense to me.

Guy, I have no idea what the rules are over there, but the park that I maintain has to be checked annually and a written report made for insurance reasons.
If one of the trees that I make a note about, with pictures, GPS coordinates and all, were to fail and whack someone, it would be my ass that was on the line 100%.

We had a really nasty sitiation 4 years ago:

A 200 year old horse chestnut dropped a large branch ( Summer branch drop, nothing to do with me, fortunately) on the tables where the scene riggers for the summer concert ( 15000 people) ate lunch.
Fortunately they had left the scene ( Pun intended) 20 minutes before.

One of the riggers is a friend of mine, and he told me that the branch would have hit several of them.

I know that isn't something that one can avoid, except by felling all the trees in the park, but it is a good example of the mayhem that can be caused, by being too nice towards bad trees.

Last year, DONG, the Danish oil and gas drilling company had their company excursion in the park. That was 19000 people.
Since they work on drilling rigs, they have a safety department.
I was asked to sign a piece of paper, stating that the park was "safe".

I managed to fiddle that around a bit, and get away with " As safe as we can make it, we're dealing with nature here" but if something had happened, my ass would have been toast.

Also, the tree in question is a butt ugly specimen, so I think Justin's suggestion has merit.

That's awkward. "As safe as any other park with 200 year old trees"...

 

[treelooker]

Thanks stig,

Summer branch drop is an Act of God? Not that you should be held responsible, but it ALWAYS happens to overextended limbs, and can be avoided by reduction.

A very hard reduction (retopping) is an option, if cabling is not done. But it would need attention much sooner, and have even more rot, so not choice #1 imo.

And thanks for confirming that your opinion is based on it being a "butt ugly specimen". I agree, but our opinions on aesthetics do NOT matter; it ain't our tree. Nicking above nodes to stimulate sprouting might be a way to get lower growth.

I'd rather base assessments on tree strength and load and logic (however imperfect) and contributions, not looks. O and I'll be in Copenhagen next July; I hope to see that castle!

 

[Steve Mack]

I have no idea what it is supposed to look like.

But should look like this.

 

[stig]

Guy, give me a call, I'd love to take you for a tour.

And you are, of course, right.

Butt ugly doesn't do it.
I should have said that it had already been topped, had the center of the trunk rotted out, lost one top, and the rest sure to go eventually.

All based on a picture.

Not possible, so I went with the least dangerous option, Removal.

I'd love to walk the park with you. They changed the ground water level when they remade the park, back to original ( Or as close as they could get) 10 years ago.
That was before my time as caretaker, but I deal with the results.
Die back in mature beeches from lack of water.
We try to keep them around as long as possible, but I'd really value your opinion on that project.
Also I'd love to show you some old pollarded linden, that have been kept alive beyond the normal lifespan of that species, by pollarding and repollarding.
Might change your mind on pollarding, seeing it done right, in the cultural settin where it came from.

Man, you got me all excited here.
We don't see things the same way,always, but I'd love to give you a tour of the stuff I deal with.

As for summer branch drop.
Every castle here have monetary problems ( Which I, as a semi commie, find to be just fine) if I were to suggest that we reduce limbs on every broad canopied tree in the park, the owner would have a heart attack.

 

[Mick!]

If they want shade there are less dangerous ways.

 

[squisher]

I bet they're trying to re-plant a tree. Looks about the size of the undertaking.

 

[Bodean]

Good thread, see a lot of topped things here in SF.

How did this tree turn out?

 

[Bodean]

Sorry to hear about your subpoena Sgriff.

 

[NickfromWI]

Good thread, see a lot of topped things here in SF.

How did this tree turn out?

I'm going to look at it today actually!

I'll bring back some pics. There's been some major adjustments to the plan....


love
nick

 

[NickfromWI]

So...we headed out a few weeks ago to do the work. Upon getting in the tree, decided against the whole plan. Ton of decay and long, deep cracks running down the trunk. The climber in the tree was able to slide their handsaw all the way into the crack.

Being a city tree, removal involves an arduous permit process. I filed the request, wrote up a report and filed that with LA Urban Forestry

Here's how the the tree looks today...



Nothing left but to grind the stump.




love
nick

 

[MasterBlaster]

Make sure the bastids pay you!!!

 

[sotc]

Beautifully cabled, almost completely mitigated the hazard.

 

[Pelorus]

total retrenchment.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Sounds like WW1...