Dangerous trees

[slowworm]

I thought this might be a sobering warning. On Friday I heard a loud crashing sound in our woodland, it was about 3 pm and it was a warm and still day. Yesterday I investigated and found the top of a very large alder (70 cm dbh so a tree you can't get your arms around the trunk) and snapped off about 15m above the ground and fallen. The trunk was about 30 cm at the break so a hefty piece fell, more than enough to do some serious damage. On closer inspection it looks like the trunk had a 2m long split up it that had begun heal but had given way for some reason. The concerning aspect was there was no sign of a problem from the ground and I've spent a fair bit of time under the tree!

 

[Billy-o]

Yes, that will have killed you dead, I think.

I saw the same once. I was just standing looking across a patch of woodland; a clear, still and sunny day. Then a huge creaking signalled an equally huge limb just peel itself off a big Maple. No sign of why. It just decided to shed a few pounds.

 

[Toddy]

Big beech dropped a limb on the path behind me down at the castle policies. It exploded. No other word for it, it exploded when it hit the ground. I was very lucky not to have been any closer.

The vast majority of injuries on the old sailing ships of the line were caused by wooden splinters set off when the cannonballs hit. Timber shatters into lethal spears.

 

[Woody girl]

I remember at the moot in Wales, a few years ago now, a huge branch just dropped off a tree, narrowly missing dave budds dads tent by little more than a whisker! I watched it happen and barely had time to shout a warning. The only thing that came to mind was TIMBER! But it was on the ground before I'd finished shouting. Luckily, he wasn't in the tent, and only a few lighter branches brushed the back of the tent, which held up to the onslaught. Lucky, very scary to watch.
Had it been a few feet further to the left, it would have destroyed the tent. Had he been in there, ...doesn't bear thinking about

 

[Broch]

This weather is heavily stressing some trees that have stood for ages. We lost a beautiful veteran wild cherry tree earlier in the year and that fell across a public lane. I have a few trees in the wood that now look 'gone' that were perfectly healthy last year. Sad times

 

[Woody girl]

My little apple tree has been dropping apples like crazy. They are not ripe yet, but I've got half a mop bucket full, and every time I go out into the garden in the mornings there are several more. I won't have any left come picking time at this rate!
Autumn is very early this year, trees are dropping crispy brown leaves already.

 

[demented dale]

Beech trees are known as the widow maker. DD x

 

[forrestdweller]

i had my share of close calls involving widow makers since coming to central america: on one occasion a dead tree we'd told our neighbor about for over six months decided to land on the roof 4m from where i was sitting and right over my toilet... another time i just took off in time when i heard a faint "crack" above my head, my dog was a bit slow to react and follow and i watched in horror as a tree landed just in front of her...
both cases involved "porro" a local softwood tree notorious for dropping widow makers and only good to be cut down

 

[TLM]

Snow has a habit of taking down week branches or split trees here usually the only problem that causes is broken power lines.
Not always though, I have a few aspen hybrids that grow very fast but are known to often produce branches that break off easily. One 30 cm dia broke while we had afternoon coffee, no wind, made a lot of noice.

 

[slowworm]

I'm aware of beech dropping branches in dry weather although ours haven't done so. I was puzzled about the alder as it is right next to a stream so shouldn't be suffering from a lack of water.

I'm happier discovering why it shed it's top half but it was probably split in a storm a couple of years ago! Here's a pic of the old damage, you can see on the left there's about 2m of.old wood and the bark has started to heal, on the right there's about 30 cm of fresh orange coloured wood which was all that was holding the top on.

 

[Nice65]

This weather is heavily stressing some trees that have stood for ages. We lost a beautiful veteran wild cherry tree earlier in the year and that fell across a public lane. I have a few trees in the wood that now look 'gone' that were perfectly healthy last year. Sad times

I’m worrying that a second mast year on the shallow rooted Beeches may be their swan song. Deeper rooted trees all produced masses last year but less this.

 

[Broch]

Today

 

[Toddy]

Y'know ? danger while it's coming down apart, I know I'm not the only one who looks at a fallen tree and thinks it such a resource

 

[Broch]

True, and it's not as though we're short of a few trees

 

[shaggystu]

Yesterday, Poplar at the bottom of the garden. Luckily it fell away from the sheds, flattened a few Willows as it came down though. The kids are loving it, clambering all over it like little monkeys.