Climbing rope embedded in tree

[pantheraba]

A "circus style climbing" rope...used for strength training.

This tree supported several ropes over the years in my backyard. When the kids were maybe 8 or 10 I put up a climbing wall and two ropes...a vertical climb and a horizontal rope.

I didn't realize I was condemning the tree at the time. Over the years I failed to re-tie (loosen) the ropes and the tree started "embedding" them. I thought some of you folks might like to see the picts.

I am in the process of removing the oak...I assume the tree is weakened at the rope points. And the limbs all grow up and over/towards the house...removal time.

 

[pantheraba]

Some picts of the removal process:

 

[MasterBlaster]

Did you finish?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Tree goes Nom Nom Nom Nom... Like cookie monster.


C is for Coooooookie and Compartmentalisation

 

[Buddy]

It’s interesting how trees grow around objects. You would think in order to continue growing that it would strangle itself.

 

[Tree09]

That is cool, thanks Gary. Sucks you accidentally made more work for yourself, and on a tree that you have many nice family memories with

 

[pantheraba]

You are right, Kyle...it's been a good tree. When Alex was about 15 he was training in a martial art. I heard a noise about 5AM one day and looked out the window into the backyard...it was dark but enough light I could see a figure clad in black running through the yard; it leapt and grabbed the rope and climbed to the top then came down head first. It blew my mind that it was Alex. I heard the door ease shut when he came back in. He had his own training regimen then before school...crazy boy! Helps understand how he got so strong. I saw him, a few years ago. do 39 real handstand pushups in my kitchen...crazy strength.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Damn!

 

[Tree09]

Beast mode!!!

 

[pantheraba]

Not finished, MB...a bit at a time when I can work on it. Solo for now until I snag someone to run ropes. Using a high TIP in nearby gum and spurring up the side of the sweeping angles limbs to get to where I can cut small into manageable pieces.

Makes for interesting dynamics of rope/lanyard/spurs for positioning.

 

[Raj]

Mill some boards from them!

 

[Bounce]

Wow, I’m amazed that the tree wasn’t girdled by the rope. Usually when I find something like that in a tree, everything above that point is dead.

 

[Bounce]

Damn Gary! Your kid must be crazy strong. Sounds like he got some good genes there!

 

[Altissimus]

Seen it go both ways (mostly wire rope grown in) ... Sometimes it kills the Tree , sometimes no.

 

[FireFighterZero]

I guess rope it pretty strong.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I don't understand how the tree can get nutrients when completely girdled and embedded.

 

[FireFighterZero]

Amazon Prime silly.

 

[MasterBlaster]

No, I don't think that's it.

 

[stig]

Gary, I've always known you have balls.
But to post those pictures of a girdled tree and branches cut off wrong on an arborist site.................................brass balls!

If you are a member of Treebuzz ( Which I am not, anymore) could you do me a favour and post them there.
Be fun to follow the screaming, yelling and hating

 

[Mellow]

Wow, I’m amazed that the tree wasn’t girdled by the rope. Usually when I find something like that in a tree, everything above that point is dead.

I think the southern trees react differently than northern trees. I looked at some Ear trees (Enterolobium cyclocarpum) last month that had been topped and girdled at least 5 to 10 years ago and they were thriving. When I did billboard clearing, we routinely topped oaks, maples, and even pines with no ill effects to the trees; they simply resprouted and continued to grow requiring recuts every year or three, like a hedge.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Same here, trimming hi-lines.

 

[pantheraba]

But to post those pictures of a girdled tree and branches cut off wrong on an arborist site.................................brass balls!

If you are a member of Treebuzz ( Which I am not, anymore) could you do me a favour and post them there.
Be fun to follow the screaming, yelling and hating

hahaha...good point, Stig. It crossed my mind it would make some folks go cross-eyed seeing that tree. It would be fun to rile some folks up but I got better things to do. I mainly posted it to get folks to chime in about the girdling aspect of it. It's been incredible to me how well the tree did...I thought the ropes would have killed but compartmentalization seems to have worked. I'll make some above and below cuts of the girdled area when I get the trunk down and see if it tells us anything.

 

[stig]

Splitting it lengthwise would be better, Gary.
Either with saw or maul.

 

[pantheraba]

Good advice....thanks.

 

[SeanKroll]

Compartmentalization has to do with micro-organisms. This is abiotic damage.