TreeDimensional

TS last July we had a couple of severe weather events in our part of the world. I must concur with your assessment of the human involvement in a lot of failures, but not all. The failures not caused by direct (Pruning) human involvement, can often be contributed to in-attention to the growth of trees. Again, no target, no risk.

The one thing that I found alarming was the number of failures at old pruning wounds. Most, if not all the failures, at the pruning site were cut by the power corporations own untrained (in arboriculture or forestry) utility employees. These employees, in rural Saskatchewan are more-or-less jack of all trades workers. One day they might be installing a meter box, the next they would be replacing a pole cross-member....... they are often called in to remove limbs, with little or no training to access the future impact of their actions.

We have been involved with other storms, where 14" diameter spruce trunks have been snapped straight across, 12' off the ground. I try to NEVER forget that mother nature holds ALL the cards. The second thing I consider when asked to remove a large limb (mismanaged tree) is "what will happen when this tree compatimentalizes this wound (or not), am I creating more of a hazard"?

This is always a slippery slope, and things can be done to abate the risks. BUT the owner of the tree has to be the one to accept the risk. Our jobs as arborists is to explain ALL the options, in an UNBIASED manner, to let the tree owner make a decision. All to often that decision is based on what the pocket book dictates.

I am very sorry to hear of a person being killed by a tree that she has probably parked beside before, she no doubt used that park to run the dog because of the esthetic beauty, and the shelter it gave them from mother natures wind. This is very sad!