Do Gums just drop branches? Sudden Limb Failure

Tony Knight

We had a close shave the other day, a matter of a minute or so. The missus and I had passed under this to check some cows before heading out for the day and upon our return from the paddock and on our way out.....








Now I am not an arborist so I am interested in educated opinions. I simply put it down to the wet season, its weight and length and what seems to be an old wound or defect with a little rot, others may have a true diagnonis.

Cheers

Tony

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Eric Frei

It doesn't look like it was a co-dominant union but it looks like it was a large collarless union, grew at an unusual angle. Looks like it came out of the trunk and took around a 90degree turn upwards, so was tall rather than horizontal.

Maybe a little rot or inclusion on the very upper part.

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derwoodii

Wow, close and a big bit of wood, be a shame to spank that nice cruiser, Any wind or was just peel away poor attachment allowing the decay pocket.

If you live in OZ ya gonna have greater (even though very low) likely hood of a gum limb on ya. If ya live in UK its gonna be a an Oak in US an Elm etc etc.
Trees shed limbs over time, and chance favours trees most prevalent where you live add to this some trees are less stable in design than others. picking which one is luck art education and practice.

Tony Knight

It was close, a minute or so in it, I'd passed under, turned into the lane eyeballed some stock turned out of the lane onto the drive and whilst making the turn the fence in front of me all of a sudden went slack, we both looked at each other bewildered then upon completion of the turn a sec later all had become apparent. After cleaning it up I check the others that line short distance of the drive edge and found another failing in the top you can see the felling in this thread

Just for interest some pics of the top whilst upright and knocked up.

















Cheers

Tony

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Darrell Mcleod

Say no more - included bark decay

Be interesting to know from which direction - north south east or west the arrow points from

IOW is that where most of the weather came from?

Was the prevailing wind pushing the limb in that direction?

Notice it has a bit of a bulge on the RHS

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Tony Knight

Cheers for the replys,

1. Direction as attached.

2. No not usually, more so from the west.

3. You could say the wind was pushing in that direct although lower portion of the limb is shield by the tree due to its attachment on the eastern side and wind was a westerly.

4. Not so much of a bulge than part of the attachment. if you look at the limb on the ground in the attached pic below notice how whilst growing parrell to the trunk it was off centre or rotated off axis.





Regards


Tony

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Darrell Mcleod

Maybe this limb (perhaps you could call it a ‘junior co dominant’) - was pushed from the south west by the wind and opened it up a bit on that side – from there it probably flexed (torsion) and as it grew developed bark inclusion, decay etc

Wonder if it had any little critters having a chomp

Also it was a strong and vertical with poor attachment by the looks– yiddity yiddity – good thing you or others were not under it when it came down

A book – The Body Language of Trees - A hand book for failure analysis – Claus Mattheck and Helge Breloar

If you want to get the book and read it through – it may blow your mind – I see trees differently now and continue to read the book over and over

Mate - your cruiser - bought a new troopie in 1994 and drove it when I was still landscaping until about five and a half years ago - did 515,000 kms on the first clutch and only changed the clutch because it had some gearbox problems and an oil leak to the rear main - my mechanic and I were going to frame it and hang it on the wall

I loved my troopie and towed bobcats - big trailers - did heaps of 4wding until I became a landscape designer and now consulting arborist - into my second Forester - drove cruisers though from before I was 18 until just recently

Tony Knight

Thanks mate, I will definitely get that book, as a kid I hated reading and at school wasn't much interested but now a little late in life I have a overwhelming thirst for knowledge, I find myself thinking like a 5 year old kid talks "why...why....why....why...".

My second Cruiser, had Hilux's before that but regularly broke them before 100K. This ones the 4500V8, out of the box it go's well but not as well as I expected, theres not much in it between the 4200Turbo6 and this, fuel isn't as good as Tojo would have you believe (consistent 13.6lt/100K empty). Plan is to chip it and let it breath with a larger straight out exhaust, all the warriors say that they go a little better and the economy improves. They are a good, reliable and strong work vehicle thou and fun to go play with to. And derwoodii was correct in saying that if that branch had "spanked" the cruiser I would not have been a happy chap. Down side is the price tag.

Thanks again and I let you know how I get on with that book (probably just raise more questions why...why...)

Cheers


Tony

Eric Frei

Some more fresh cases

Gum tree falls on picnickers in Heywood Park | Adelaide Now

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