Knock the top out of a tree, let the resulting sprouts grow as they wish, wait twenty to forty years for your disaster. I have been seeing that a lot lately. A thunderstorm in July tore down this white pine that had multiple competing tops. It only got a high tension line on its way down.
This tree was weakened by an injury long ago that broke the top out. It then grew competing tops that were not anchored to the center, and there was rot introduced with the injury, which you can plainly see in the second photo.
This red maple appears to be rot-free, but it had the same poor structure due to an injury many years ago. It also had a house for a target.
This pin oak has a similar history to the first two trees. The top was knocked out, and multiple branches all tried to be the top. Rot got into this one, too. The branch went clear to the frame of this home, and crushed a man in his bed. If you have a tree with this type of structure within striking distance of your home, barn, parking place, or picnic table, you might want to take it down. 100% of the trees you see in the forest will at some time end up on the ground. One of your priorities in life should be not to be in the way when it happens.
"100% of the trees you see in the forest will at some time end up on the ground. One of your priorities in life should be not to be in the way when it happens."
ReplyDeleteAmen, and Amen.
Most of the wood I hear dropping doesn't make a sound until it hits the ground. I was in a line of firefighters in Idaho in 1979 when a big Doug fir fell behind me. The man behind me didn't hear it either. The guy behind him had to jump back and it just missed him.
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