 Re: Ekka's pics
LOL, no more pics coz it was starting to get dark, the groundy was leaving, I had stumps to grind, load to dump and pick the kids up from after school care before 6 (it's dark here at 5pm these days you know)
However, here's the deal.
The hinge was nice and parallel, maybe 3/4" hingewood, text book stuff. (had to be due to potential insurance claim)
The entire cambium (sapwood) was compromised, like honeycomb ... however the heartwood was 100% good.
So, it wasn't like the typical scene of termite but rather some borer infestation feeding on the cambium.
Stump grinding, roots were good, I'd say 100% in tact.
So from a VTA point of view it was really UGLY
From a structural engineers point of view, OK
Moral of the story ... well there's two.
1/ Better to be safe than sorry.
2/ Never assume more than you can see, a drill test would have confirmed integrity. Just think if this were some significant tree and you felled it, no hollow, no decay, no termites..... Ooops, egg on your face.
I have mentioned this a lot before but I will say in a consulting capacity I'm starting to drill them all where there's any VTA that tells me possible decay. |