Now that's a rich vein i'd love to tap into. When you do inspections Treeman what else are you looking for? I've got quite an intuitive understanding of beech and oak trees and what there branches can hold out towards the periphery but I imagine that years in the trees must have given you a great understanding of the stuff trees are made of.

Moss, I'll dig out some pictures that could give you an idea of how far 250lb on an oak branch can go.

As for beeches sheering, I've come across many that spontaneously rupture. I've been minutes out of one in the summer and heard it rip. I was quite troubled by that. I can't say though if there is a seasonal determinate for it. But certainly beeches seem to outgrow themselves frequently.

Those are some good de_script_ions of codoms. The best way to learn is to research for yourself. Please don't think that I'm getting snotty or blowing you off. A few minutes googling will lead you to much more information that I can type out on a discussion forum.

Try these:

codominant stem
codominant branch
hazard tree inspection

If you can't get enough info to make a good decision, post back and I'll direct you.

Glad to see that people are checking before climbing into the unknown.

Tom

good stuff... off i go

I ran across this while searching for something else:
Included Bark Archive

Scary!

Originally posted by Jim W
I ran across this while searching for something else:
Included Bark Archive

Scary!

Great photos! Thanks for posting the _link_. It's helpful that he showed images of crotches that hadn't failed yet or were cracked, really completes the picture. The tight "V" is clearly dangerous.
-moss