What do you think of this tree

Darrell Mcleod

Hi new to this forum - graet site

This tree is a Mountain Ash located close to a busy tourist road here in Olinda Victoria

It is located in a naturestrip about 1.5 metres away from the road with a footpath under it; about 10 metres away is an old age respite home and next to it is a car park for a restaurant

It is over 30 metres high and in my view in serious decline, with dieback to its top leaders etc etc

In the picture to the left it is the tree to the right and the picture to the right - only tree

Just seeking some opinions of others

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dov

Looks pretty standard for the area, why?

Seriously, having the forest and the community blended in together is so much a part of that area. I grew up in Kalorama just down the hill a bit from there. Nice spot. Takes a long time for suburbanites moving into the area to get used to it (say, 10-15 years). Till then it seems that a lot of the people who move up there just want to cut down trees and generally destroy everything they moved up there to be close to. Locals have the last laugh after a bad fire season though - whether we have fires nearby or not. A lot of houses up there become vacant after summer...

If the tree is starting to drop branches or if you seriously are concerned, get onto the shire offices.

dov

Pretty sure I've found the tree. This is the tree in http://maps.google.com.au/maps?layer=c&cbll=-37.846968,145.360446&cbp=12,320.68,,0,-10.12&cid=4130000150784499928&q=kate+kelly%27s+olinda+victoria&ved=0CCAQ2wU&ei=Wy09TMDeGNqDkAXo_aCHBg&ie=UTF8&hq=kate+kelly%27s+olinda+victoria&hnear=&ll=-37.846967,145.360446&spn=0.000266,0.000603&t=h&z=21&panoid=OTn1qqEqjsgHSvCzbM8saA. Probably from a couple of years ago.

Darrell Mcleod

Thanks for the reply

You are correct - that is the tree

my understanding is the shire may be already protecting it

Would you like me to post another couple of up close shots of the canopy?

dov

If you could. That would be interesting.

Eric Frei

Doesn't look good, if that google shot is say 2 years old then she's going backwards alright.

The spot it's in is a little constricted eh, add drought, summer heat etc ..... = dieback.

Add some heavy rain and spring it might bounce back.

What are regnans like for limb shed? Do they have the reputation of camaldulensis? I think so.

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dov

Just from personal experience, they don't seem so bad. The rougher barked Eucs further down the mountain are more into dropping limbs. I'm up on my parent's roof not far downhill from this Regnans in the pics every few months replacing tiles. Mind you, most of those are dead limbs, so not really limb shedding per se.

Regarding heavy rain on Mt Dandenong. The mountain is an old volcano and is made up of active clay soil. Ie. when you get heavy rains after a long dry spell (usually with a bit of wind) the soil expands rapidly and the trees almost jump out of the ground. I remember one storm in 2007. All the power company crews were called off the hill as so many trees were falling. You could stand in one spot and hear trees falling every 5-10 minutes in the forest. Took 4-5 days to get all the roads clear.

Darrell Mcleod

A few years back on a calm evening I had one of my Mountain Ash just nearby drop a limb on my house and do about $10,000 damage

It was located then just outside the distance which meant the council would not allow me to remove it although I had tried - then about 4.5 metres

Funny thing was after it shed this huge limb from 20 metres up council let me take it down without question and deemed it as being dangerous

It was 30 plus metres tall

Rememeber it was a calm night, late in the evening and no wind - I was watching a movie, heard a huge crack; immediately knew what was going on and because my house is soild brick with steel door frames made it to a doorway at the other end of the house before it hit - very scary

It had been a very hot day and slow drizzling rain had been falling for maybe three or four hours

I have little doubt they shed limbs but also after removing now three large ones two that were 30 metres plus including this one had their centres consumed by borers

One older local who has lived in the hills all his life says - most are full of borers

One I took down at the back of my house 30 plus metres high was bifurcated and failing - its butt was at least 3 metres through and only 6 metres from my house

After it was felled at one point that would have been about 3.5 metres from its base it had only 150 mm of outer solid wood to its north western side the borers had chomped the rest away

I had loved them and when I bought my house imagined I was living in a remnant cold weather rain forest

The limb through my house could have killed us - that changed my tune a little

This tree - some more piccies

What I would like to know from others -

Generally what is thought?

How do we apply SULE to a tree like this?

What does the fungus mean?

Really appreciate any input

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glennak

Are you talking termites or borer?

Darrell Mcleod

Sorry termites

Eric Frei

On the limb shed this is how I think. I look at a relatively juvenile one, then a mature one. I see the mature one has clean trunk for 20m to 30m (no branches), I look at the juvenile one and see many low branches. I conclude that they shed limbs, now whether they shed them as SLD or deadwood is the unknown unless you are local.

SULE:- I do not use it nor do I like the concept of it. All because of the "S" part, which stands for "SAFE". What is safe? How do I ensure it is safe, will it's safe thingo change over time etc. It's really an old way of talking and the inventor of it (Barrell) now uses TreeAZ instead.

The more I see that tree the more I do not like it, period.

It is in decline, the fungi might be ganoderma, looks like it.

Sure you can spend money on it, deadwood it, reduce it, treat it etc but I am a practical man that lives in reality not tree fairy land. If the tree is a run of the mill dime a dozen species, has no significance, has no habitat, has no historic value then why throw good money down the drain attempting to slow the inevitable. I would argue that you might as well remove it now instead of spending $15K over 5 years, and spend more on replacements..... Of course there are those who argue otherwise and I have no aversion to treating trees at all, in fact I do it often, but you asked my opinion. In a report I would list options and let the owner decide. Basal decay is serious, a blowover of that tree could kill people, so you cannot just leave it alone.

Of course some diagnostics needs to be done, like is it hollow? How decayed is it? Bit of a fact finding exercise for peace of mind that what you are recommending is for a reason.

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Lucywu2012

In my oponion, we should protect it and try you best to get on well with it. Even though it just a tree, it also gives you so much conivence and helpful.

Darrell Mcleod

An update on this tree

Apparently local council has radared it but as yet we have not seen the results

Just for any skeptics the second picture is an aerial shot showing its proximity to the tourist road, car park of a local tavern, footpath underneath and the building just to the left and forward from it is an old peoples respite home

others apparently have complained because they do not like walking under it

question is - why is the local council so intent on just leaving it as it is

if you look at the first picture at the dead high up in the canopy - it is probably 30 plus metres high - how would you like one of them falling on your head or through the roof of your car as you were meandering along on a Sunday drive?

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