Hollow Public Trees This hollow tree leaned over

Hollow Public Trees This hollow tree leaned over US Hwy 58 in Kewaunee, Illinois.

28 municipal arborists on a fundraising bike tour visited after the tree was pruned.

Town Manager, PW Director, Urban Forester etc. Approved

The Crying Tree, Marion VA Inspecting the structure, pruning branches, and invigorating roots improves health, safety, and longevity.

Sallie, a child slave in the 1840 s, was separated from her parents when they were sold. The brokenhearted Sallie wrapped her arms around the tree and poured her heart out. Evelyn Thompson Lawrence worked tirelessly to ensure

Lawrence, wearing a costume adorned with fall leaves, would often tell Sallie’s story from the perspective of the Crying Tree. Over the years, she urged care of the tree, convincing the town to put lightning protection on it. Lawrence died August 2015, at the age of 99.

William Fields, student of Ms. Lawrence

On the north side of the trunk, trunk tissues have cracked apart after the loss of limbs. The crack stops at a growth point, where tissues are strengthened. Even after the branches are cut off, the protection zone remains. A small hole in the upper left appears to be one of several access points for squirrels and other creatures. These are typical in older oaks.

Response growth is visible on both sides of the tape measure. Its thickness indicates the crack has been there for 5+ years.

The loss of limbs on this one vascular column of this tree restricts the flow of nutrients to the area around the crack. This starvation contributed to the cracking, and slows closure.

Open cavities between buttress roots are not uncommon in old oaks, and interior decay is typical. Healthy trees are supported by their buttress roots, and wall off the spread of decay.

Concrete found inside 30 cm+ Wood; Filled in 19. . ? Columns of hard structural wood, and open channels. Orange lines point to favorable Woundwood. Yellow lines point to the extent of The necrosis.

The fattest oak in Europe has a cavity large enough to hold a council meeting. Trees have many strategies for coping with cavities, like shedding unneeded limbs and adding support.

To the left, a new root grows at the margins of the cavity. To the right, a column of new wood is formed inside the cavity.

NW

The red line shows a gap in the crown. It could be related to the loss of a limb in 2012. The yellow line may point to the wound created by the removal of a broken limb. Closer inspection will guide the adjustment of pruning specifications.

Reducing branches will reduce the distance that water and nutrients must travel, redirecting the tree’s energy to foliage that is easier for the tree to support.

The BMP and the TRAQ form guides the assessor to document response growth. The tree’s response growth is an important factor. The ANSI A 300 standard calls for inspection before pruning, or installing lightning protection. The crack and the openings were probably observed at those times or before. •

The Crying Tree sprawls toward the parking lot. This imbalance puts a lot of strain on the supporting tissues on the opposite side of the trunk that faces the building.

Reducing the sprawl will reduce the strain on the trunk, and risk of failure.

CONCLUSION: The reduction of branches will reduce the risk associated with this tree below the level of risk associated with the average mature tree in the urban landscape. SPECIFICATIONS for Care: Flare: Remove soil >6” away from the trunk. Avoid damaging roots. Expose and measure any roots that arise near wounds. Replace soil with stalite or another sterile aggregate. Roots: Eliminate turf >6’ from trunk by spraying contact herbicide per need and suffocating with cardboard. Spread woodchip mulch 4” deep. Beyond 6’, modify soil by aerating and inoculating per need. Trunk: Clean dead material away from wounds. Document and monitor response growth— ”scar tissue”-- in the form of woundwood. Assess strength. Branches: Reduce horizontal and downward growth as illustrated to improve symmetry and lessen movement. Make cuts <4”, to laterals that grow upright or in a symmetrical direction. Remove 10%-15% of the foliage. Monitoring: Review images of the crack and the cavity and the crown every 9 months. Return in 3 years to inspect the tree and perform other treatments as specified. Use noninvasive testing. Avoid damage to structure and health. Use sounding, probing, and recording images with a camera for inspection and assessment.

https: //www. swvatoday. com/news/smyth_county/article_a 49007 b 4 -9 ba 9 -11 e 6 b 641 -ff 19 a 9271213. html Is the original article. The following is the second part of the story. …the arborist who found the damage encouraged town officials to get a second opinion. That opinion was somewhat more encouraging, indicating that the tree had a moderate risk of failure but that could be eased by pruning. In the meantime, the Crying Tree’s health was brought to the attention of Jeff Kirwan, emeritus professor of forestry and extension specialist at Virginia Tech. Kirwan helped write the book Remarkable Trees of Virginia, which includes the story of Sallie’s Crying Tree. That book helped lead Marion to the man who hopes to save the Crying Tree. Kirwan explained to the Marion Town Council Monday evening that as a result of the book he’s been asked to speak to numerous groups, reaching about 15, 000 people. One of those gatherings featured world-class instructors teaching National Park Service employees how to care for historical trees. There he met Guy Meilleur, an arborist who provides care for historic trees and has taught at several universities, including Virginia Tech and Duke. Kirwan told the council, “Mr. Meilleur still does house calls. ”

Monday, Meilleur, who offers more than 50 years of experience as a commercial arborist, made a “house call” to the Crying Tree. He’d already reviewed as much as he could via photographs. Meilleur told the council, “I’m paid to take a hard look at trees” not a sentimental one. He didn’t believe the cavity to be a problem. He spoke of a 1, 000 -year-old oak in Sweden with a cavity large enough for the council to meet in. “It’s not uncommon to have a cavity in oak, ” he said. With the crack, Meilleur said, a critical factor is whether the tree is able to compensate for the loss. “This tree is, ” he told the council, noting that response growth, or scar tissue, is visible. He assured the council that trees with scar tissue can be strong.

The Crying Tree is alive and getting stronger, Meilleur said. He believes the tree is in the early mature phase of its life. He and Kirwan noted that some oaks can live to be 600 years old. The Crying Tree, he said, may only be halfway through its life. Since the tree is hollow, Meilleur said, an accurate age can’t be determined. However, he said, he was comfortable with historic accounts that would put it near 200 years old. Meilleur recommended some small pruning cuts to the tree and invigorating the roots. He plans to run his plan by several other experts, including Dr. Eric Wiseman, a certified arborist and an associate professor in Urban Forestry and Arboriculture at Virginia Tech. If they concur, he plans to undertake the work before Thanksgiving. The council didn’t hesitate to unanimously approve his plan and fee of $1, 417. The council’s decision came as good news to William Fields, who spoke early in the meeting advocating for trying to save the tree. “The tree is more important at this moment in time in history, ” said Fields, who noted that people have come from all over the country to sit under the tree and hear the story of Sallie, a child slave in the 1840 s who was separated from her parents when they were sold. The brokenhearted Sallie poured her heart out to the tree. She was even said to wrap her arms around then young oak, and thus the Crying Tree was born. Sallie’s story was shared and recorded by her granddaughter, the late Evelyn Thompson Lawrence. Fields told the council, “It is worth saving if at all possible. ” “It’s not just Sallie’s story, it is our story, ” concluded Fields. P