SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
In older growth doug firs, there is sometimes a dead standing top. At work, we have to manage hazards in campgrounds/ public access areas.
My co-worker tells me that he heard from some arborists at a conference that if the tops are punky, removing them is okay/less detrimental than if the tops are grey and "hardened". He said that leaving those hard, gray tops in place was better for the tree than removing it.
He said that there have been 2 large doug firs at parks that have had dead tops removed that died relatively soon afterward, out of a handful still alive after topping the dead leaders.
One thing to consider is that the 2 that died could have been dying anyway.
I've seen several around town these last two years with dead tops, maybe 20' to 30', on 130' trees. Saw one while I was driving home tonight. Been topped of the deadwood. Don't know if they cut into the live trunk or not. Several newly dead branches just below the top of the stem/ topping cut.
Tomorrow or later this week, we will have a dead top to remove from a 4' ish dbh Dfir.
Anybody know anything about this?
My co-worker tells me that he heard from some arborists at a conference that if the tops are punky, removing them is okay/less detrimental than if the tops are grey and "hardened". He said that leaving those hard, gray tops in place was better for the tree than removing it.
He said that there have been 2 large doug firs at parks that have had dead tops removed that died relatively soon afterward, out of a handful still alive after topping the dead leaders.
One thing to consider is that the 2 that died could have been dying anyway.
I've seen several around town these last two years with dead tops, maybe 20' to 30', on 130' trees. Saw one while I was driving home tonight. Been topped of the deadwood. Don't know if they cut into the live trunk or not. Several newly dead branches just below the top of the stem/ topping cut.
Tomorrow or later this week, we will have a dead top to remove from a 4' ish dbh Dfir.
Anybody know anything about this?