decay causing orgs.

treevet

We have a thread on "fungi/host interactions" but would like to see some more precise discussions on "fungal strategies of wood decay in trees", would like to see some real life pictures from the field accompanied by ID and discussion (from your own camera and observation).

I, for one, am often occupied with the CYA state of mind and with the proclivity of lawyers looking for something to cash in on (ambulance chasers), so should everyone.

How about a picture of fruiting bodies, decay pockets, tree failures and some profiles, etc.

Also would like to hear some personal or 2nd hand stories in regards to detection equipment.



Here's a starter I took a shot of last week in a town that is famous for leaving widowmakers all over with selective vision, Glendale, Ohio. I know what this is I think, but will let someone else do the honors.

Attached Thumbnails

 

pcarborist

Laetiporus sulphureus?

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parkcityarborist

treevet

That is correct IMO. Chicken of the woods is another common name as it is edible but needs to be gotten early or insects will be ingested as well.

"Usually an indicator of extensive decay and reason for immediate removal. However some trees may still be sound enough to retain and have to be tested periodically....One of the few brown rots on deciduous trees.....Habitat- Base of live trees, on the butt region, on the main trunk and on stumps or on dead trees" (Wood Decay Fungi).

Don't think I would have climbed that one but it is bucket accessable. Would have headed right up it in the early days even though big leads were missing. I used to always think....2 out of 3 leads are missing. Is it time for the third one to fall off while I am climbing and rigging up here.

Sean Freeman

Caution with this one some people are sensitive to some of the chemicals in this fungi (and other fungi too) so try a little bit before you dig in and if in any doubt dont eat it.

treevet

Anyone familiar with the term "compensating growth". My understanding, in passing, is that this is a reaction wood, maybe both tension and compression, that is the tree's reaction to the structural weakness decay elicits. It is cause for consideration when doing risk assessments.

Anyone have opinions to the contrary or want to expound on this?

Eric Frei

Of course, that's why Mattheck's chart talks of bulges and calls it a "life belt"

Claus Mattheck VTA Reference Chart

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treeseer

Yes, both ways--first to ID as a sign of rot within, second to factor in strength gain from reaction wood while computing strength loss from decay.

treevet

I think it might be of interest to share a little of the new Francis Schwarze wood decay book.

"Humans take risks, which is how the species has spread across the planet, occupying most landmasses in all but the most inhospitable places" ....only recently have we began to intellectualize and conceptualize risk. Thus comes the development of processes, definitions and standards, the concepts of negligence and liability, .....can risk be measured and how well can we compartmentalize both risk and its components."

"until the 70's risk was largely unheard of outside of academics, engineers, economists and epidemiologists....now it pervades all sectors of the community and has become an inherent societal contrivance.

It is doubtful that risk posed by trees in the urban environment has changed in the past decade. tree risk assessments have become commonplace now for many arborists..

Risk assessment of trees is a relatively recent development-it is difficult to locate much in the literature before the 70's except a few papers. From an urban tree perspective, one of the earliest publications was Matheny and Clark's "A Photographic Guide to the Evaluation of Hazard Trees in ;Urban Areas" (1994) and this is probably the time when tree risk assessment entered the lexicon of modern arboriculture.

Early literature referred to "hazard trees" whether it was hazard identification, reduction or assessment. Early papers and some current literature commonly refer to assessing trees as "safe" or "unsafe", and this use of such imprecise and ambiguous terms is rare in other risk assessment provinces and undoubtedly requires addressing within modern arboriculture.

The speed of communications and increasing commonality of culture, particularly because of the internet and the international reach of organizations such as the ISA.........amalgamation of country specific standards into international standards, behooves industries to agree on the use of terminology and subsequent definitions......."

My apologies to Dr. Schwarze for hacking up the continuity and possibly some of the message in the content but to me it is so striking the current situation. Things are changing at breakneck speed. The days of Shigo preaching that if you do not know and understand trees....keep your damn hands off them....is at hand. Standing out in a clients yard and staring up at a tree and licking your thumb and holding it up to the wind and with eyebrows furrowed in wisdom of the ages proclaiming "better take her down" or worse "she'll be fine" won't cut it anymore. The process of risk assessment is moving from an art to more of a science. More sophisticated and less injurious detection equipment and more scientific techniques are evolving. I often think driving around a village that has a lot of foot traffic under poorly maintained trees with much deadwood and structural issues....how would the community feel if 50 foot poles were installed all over and 500 lb steel safes were hung from them on aging hemp rope? It is truly amazing more people are not injured or killed by falling trees. Maybe more attention will be commonly given to not doing the things that create these structural issues, most of which are cast on trees by human beings.

Anytime we have to lock horns with a lawyer we cannot help but to come out on the losing end overall. CYA.

treeseer

Well that would depend on the lawyer and the case and the arborist's work.

CYA to me means do a systematic inspection and then list management options, instead of making recommendations based on inadequate inspection.

I get more questions than answers from reading that book.

treevet

The losing end in a best scenario may be it just costs us our time and a lawyer raping us. Law suites can be fired out in all directions.

Good CYA let them pick their poison .

Sean Freeman

I think thats a very good thing

treeseer

Yes most of the questions are good but some topics that the were not resolved in the book that imo should have been.

Anyway I won't claim to know the book until february. at the soonest.

treevet

Do these decay detecting systems register internal cracks (caused by a variety of reasons) that are ofter a source for tree failures with or without decay involved?

treeseer

Radar may be better than tomography on cracks but as always it depends on the operator/software I think.