Yes you are correct wind loading is not as simple as a single vector acting on a solid sail....it was not my intention to imply otherwise.
Trees are natural systems they will fail, all trees eventually fail, irrespective of how much we would wish it otherwise. Anyone who makes their living from the long term management of urban amenity trees has to be able to balance the desire to retain all of the almost endless benefits accrued to the community from trees, with the recognition that there is an element of risk associated with living and working beneath their canopies.
Personally I am very comfortable with my ability to strike that balance.
Personally I am happy that the fiasco of so called management of the Anne Frank tree was halted before it was cut down and some who have a little greater experience of managing veteran trees were brought in to properly assess the tree, and provide options to the wider city community as to its future management.
On a side matter, "fungal strategies" is a great read and full of interesting info, Prof Francis Schwarze is presenting at our conference next week, and I'm attending his workshop...doubtless there will be some interesting debate about the value of studying sanitised dried wood blocks in the analysis of progressive fungal decay in living wood tissues
