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Watched a 40 foot ash split down the middle in a windstorm because of a bad co-dominant union nobody caught
Just got back from a job in Aurora where a 40 foot ash split right down the middle in the storm we had Tuesday night. The thing had a co-dominant union with included bark starting about 12 feet up and it finally gave out, took out a fence and half the neighbor's shed. I spent 2 hours with the pole saw cleaning up the hangers before we could even think about the trunk. The homeowner said a guy looked at it 3 years ago and said it was fine. If you're doing estimates and you're not checking the unions on ash and maple, you're gonna get somebody hurt. What's your go-to method for bracing a union like that when the tree is worth saving?
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brooke_walker2310d ago
That 12 foot union with included bark is exactly the kind of thing that looks fine until it doesnt, and I say that as a guy who once told a homeowner a similar ash was solid right before a limb proved me real wrong. For bracing I usually go with two or three through rods plus a cable up high, but honestly if the union is that far gone I lean toward taking it down. Some trees just arent worth the risk no matter how nice they look.
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