Quote:
Originally Posted by ozinus  False
The cut penetrated both the branch bark ridge and the parent stem this is shown by the kidney shaped rolls of wound wood. This cut was innacurate and the tree tells us so. |
I don't believe that's correct - not for certain. Still worth considering, but probably not conclusive.
Unless I could see a photo from the day of the work, I'd suspect it's possible that there was damage up near that bark ridge. So it's hard to know for a fact.
The shape is not a guarantee of what the cut was like. The shape may be closer to telling us how the tree was capable of responding.
But I've pruned limbs off before, where the tissue was not healthy or developed right just above the cut. Or to one side or the other. Especially with tight narrow unions. But I've seen defects or damage to U-shape unions prior to a cut as well.
Humphey's stated something that may be relevant, and may be irrelevant. Removal of a branch will not for a fact reduce a lifespan by decades. It "may" reduce the lifespan, with the exception that a limb NEEDS to be removed.
I've seen limbs that are irrepairable, and if they were not removed, the lifespan may be reduced.
Also, tree wounds do not tell all the story. They sometimes tell part of the story. They basically tell as much as they can tell. For example, one story that wound can tell us, is that the cut was at least a certain size, and that tissue was living on both sides of it.
Actually, the shapes and marks there, lead me to introduce one other possibility. That the limb removed was NOT a limb. It could have been TWO limbs merging at that point. If that's the case, it would explain a small shape on the tree above the wound, that I seem to recall seeing when a doubled branch divides off from the main stem. And maybe is should not have been removed, but without seeing it, I can't say yeah or nay.
The bark on that tree is really nifty.
Reminds me so much of our Madrone / Arbutus
Oh yeah, one other thing. I find that small and medium branches along a trunk, extending at 90 degrees (level) tend to provide a more picture-perfect "doughnut" worthy of an illustration, than many other branches and stems arranged at angles, and especially ones near crotches / unions.
Take a look at the pdf again. Notice how the really nice doughnuts seem to be from what were 90 degree attachments? That's what I'd choose for my picture perfect album and brochure examples - pick the 90 degree ones, not the upward angled limb cuts.
I defy most aborists to experience the same picture-perfect super-doughnut results with abundant consistency for a legion of angled attachment cuts.