nice vid blair. We strike these failures a lot and you are right it is usually a number of factors that cause failure. Always good to see your care towards your trees and the clients. must buy you that beer one time. stay safe
My new neighbor is camping on the 15 acre lot he purchased. It was a pasture for yearling cattle for decades. One large oak tree was the shade for the cattle. Its branches were as large as a mature tree, it was huge!2 years ago I heard a thundering crash that shook my house. The next day I discovered the oak tree had cracked and half of the canopy was on the ground. We walked over to see it close up and the entire area where it failed was black, pitch black. It looks like mold. Now the new owner has put up 2 large tents and camps under the remaining huge limbs with his family and friends. His kids play in the dirt where the cows had left decades of paddies and he just put a rope swing up for them to play on. They hang tarps on the giant limb that cracked off. Is he nuts or am I paranoid?
I've got a tree that definitely does have the potential to fail. When I first started maintaining it about 15 years ago, it was half the size it is now. Someone had done a real hack job to many of the branches, resulting in a lot of dead limbs. I removed most of them and the tree seems much healthier then it once was, but there's no question that there is some rot at the main knot where all of the big branches spread out from the trunk. One of them had a rotten branch going through a live branch. With the dead branch gone, the tree has now fully closed the wound, but I do fully expect to see that branch fail in due time. At this point, the tree is so large that it's just beyond my capacity to maintain. At this point, I don't think it's a major threat to the house, but I do think it has the potential to become one in a matter of years. I think it's about at that point where it just needs to be removed.
A huge thing like that... I'd honestly look at it, trim it up and use some as a landscaping feature. Throw a spa behind the thing and instant privacy screen..
What a MONSTER!!! Blair, around 15 years ago we had a sever storm. As I drove around to see the damage the next day, I spotted an enormous oak that uprooted onto an old/good condition farmhouse. The WHOLE tree was completely intact, and perfectly balanced on top of the house, showing little damage!? Because of the almost little damage to the house, I figured this would be a nightmare to remove? SO glad I didn't have to work it! It was crazy?!
My mother in law had a very large oak in her front yard. Probably 60' tall, double trunked, each about 30" in diameter. We had a strong wind storm that blew one side over into the neighbors house. Noone living there at the time so no injuries. There were a few holes in the roof but not as much damage as there could have been. A 10" diameter limb had stopped it from crushing the house. That limb was embedded 12' into the ground. The tree service that removed the tree had to go rent a larger crane to pull it out. They tried with a front end loader and their own crane but couldnt budge it. They came later and removed the other half of the tree. The interior of the base of both trunks was quite spongy and lots of fungus in the close roots.
Interesting video, but I am left wondering what the solution to the problem was and what happened finally. It's like having a plot outline to a play or movie without knowing what happened or how it ended. So ultimately, it was more frustrating than interesting.
Charleston, SC, Hilton Head Island, SC, and Savannah, GA....in flood AND hurricane zone, massive 300+ year old Live Oaks throughout residential and historic construction areas. Seems by these arborist videos, these would be great areas for preventive and damage removal business.
Well, it seems to me that live oak tree is less resistant than Quercus robur and Quercus pubescens - english oak and downy oak. Pretty common trees in my country 🌳. But I can be wrong
That could of been real bad. Glad it wasn't. There's a tree in my neighborhood that came down in the middle of the house. It was a city tree. Wondered if anyone was home.
I noticed that she had a lot of potted plants in the yard and on the patio. I wonder if she might have inadvertently brought in a disease that would be uncommon for this area?
By Live Oak, do you mean Quercus Virginiana? If so, they sure look alot different where I'm from in Central Florida. Nevertheless, I'm glad to see that minimal damage was done given the size of the tree. That could have made for a really REALLY bad day for that homeowner
That tree is huge. I would have thought it was pushing 150 years old. I've never seen an oak tree grow so large so quickly. What do you think made it grow so big so quickly?
Any idea why it got that big that fast or if it may be somehow connected with the failure (eg. lots of water -> easy fast growth but root system rot in the long run)?
I wonder if it found a source of water like a tile drain pipe or something. That would explain the fast growth and perhaps the root rot too. Just spitballing here.
localcrew I read that these Coast Live Oaks are evergreens so if they're getting sufficient moisture and sun I don't see why they wouldn't grow quite a bit year round. The excessive moisture could also explain the root rot and weak root system. If a tree's roots don't have to search far for water, they won't grow as big and vast as a tree that's not near water. Smaller root system=less sturdy base. I'm not an expert at all but I think this could make sense? A leaky water pipe underground could definitely be plausible
I had one branch snap off from a pine tree in my yard, it fell about 60' to the roof of my truck, and crushed it. (Yea, it was a very big branch.) I can't even imagine the damage an oak like that could have done.
arboristBlairGlenn Our power was out for a week, and I wired the remains of my truck to a mini UPS so I could use it as an inverter and keep my lights on. (Back before I had a generator. So it was still handy. ;-) So it turned into an adventure.
long timer, thankfully retired tho pretty stoved up. seen tons, but this one's amazing for the small amount of damage incurred. haul out would be the most work on this one?
lol, my gramp's term for "beat up", "stiff and sore", stuff like that. my hips, knees...arthritis. those redwoods and hackberries sure know about payback brother! stay safe Blair.
Michigan Mister well, i consider myself an "old timer" at age 63 but I have young man tendencies. I need to slow down a bit and recognize my weaknesses. --Naa, I'm going keep pushing!!
check this, I was born with one leg longer than the other. had to have one gaff shorter. (kidding). it did contribute to a hip replacement @ 43 though. remember, we didn't have buckets or anything to lift the wood. sheer man power and free climbs. NO REGRETS!
As a Midwesterner, its difficult for me to understand how trees grow so big and fast down in your regions climate. Do they grow back leaves as soon as they lose them? What would take 100 years up here, seems to only take 50 years by you. Mind boggling.
Why the peoples plants such trees in the backyard ? Which grows huge & huge , over year after years without bearing any benefits. Such trees are place in forest only. I can understand if peoples planting fruit bearing tree in the backyard which grows huge over the period of time.
Marti woodchip NOT TRUE. This tree was planted in 1964! We deal with lots of huge trees that are not as old as some people think. In California, we don't have the snow or cold weather that slows down growth. I count ring on removals and I do know what I'm talking about. Keep your "bullshit" comment to yourself!
I just paid several thousand dollars to get trees removed near my house. My question is why builders don't remove them before pouring foundation. Any 30 foot tree should be removed if less than 40+feet from new building,for example.
nice vid blair. We strike these failures a lot and you are right it is usually a number of factors that cause failure. Always good to see your care towards your trees and the clients. must buy you that beer one time. stay safe
brett soutar thanks Brett
Blair - Thanks for all your great videos.....very informative as always!
Bill Carlsbad thanks Bill
My new neighbor is camping on the 15 acre lot he purchased. It was a pasture for yearling cattle for decades. One large oak tree was the shade for the cattle. Its branches were as large as a mature tree, it was huge!2 years ago I heard a thundering crash that shook my house. The next day I discovered the oak tree had cracked and half of the canopy was on the ground. We walked over to see it close up and the entire area where it failed was black, pitch black. It looks like mold.
Now the new owner has put up 2 large tents and camps under the remaining huge limbs with his family and friends. His kids play in the dirt where the cows had left decades of paddies and he just put a rope swing up for them to play on.
They hang tarps on the giant limb that cracked off. Is he nuts or am I paranoid?
I've got a tree that definitely does have the potential to fail. When I first started maintaining it about 15 years ago, it was half the size it is now. Someone had done a real hack job to many of the branches, resulting in a lot of dead limbs. I removed most of them and the tree seems much healthier then it once was, but there's no question that there is some rot at the main knot where all of the big branches spread out from the trunk. One of them had a rotten branch going through a live branch. With the dead branch gone, the tree has now fully closed the wound, but I do fully expect to see that branch fail in due time. At this point, the tree is so large that it's just beyond my capacity to maintain. At this point, I don't think it's a major threat to the house, but I do think it has the potential to become one in a matter of years. I think it's about at that point where it just needs to be removed.
A huge thing like that... I'd honestly look at it, trim it up and use some as a landscaping feature. Throw a spa behind the thing and instant privacy screen..
What a MONSTER!!! Blair, around 15 years ago we had a sever storm. As I drove around to see the damage the next day, I spotted an enormous oak that uprooted onto an old/good condition farmhouse. The WHOLE tree was completely intact, and perfectly balanced on top of the house, showing little damage!? Because of the almost little damage to the house, I figured this would be a nightmare to remove? SO glad I didn't have to work it! It was crazy?!
I was waiting for the story of how you did it
I wanted nothing to do with it. It was an insurance nightmare!
That tree looks soo cool in the garden, I would totally keep it :P
Neat drawing at the end.
KarlBunker I'm not sure who did that. Someone sent it to me. I would like to give credit
I second that.A powerful image.I would buy a print tomorrow.
same here. if the artist name is known please share :) and thanks for the sharing of these stories I enjoyed the video pretty much :)
I just found your channel and I LOVE it!
theMediaMart Thank you. Are you in the trade?
My mother in law had a very large oak in her front yard. Probably 60' tall, double trunked, each about 30" in diameter. We had a strong wind storm that blew one side over into the neighbors house. Noone living there at the time so no injuries. There were a few holes in the roof but not as much damage as there could have been. A 10" diameter limb had stopped it from crushing the house. That limb was embedded 12' into the ground. The tree service that removed the tree had to go rent a larger crane to pull it out. They tried with a front end loader and their own crane but couldnt budge it. They came later and removed the other half of the tree. The interior of the base of both trunks was quite spongy and lots of fungus in the close roots.
thanks for the video of the different types of tree's around the country looks different than the types here in Missouri.
John James when I travel around the country,, I'm amazed at how different this country is. In Alaska, only a handful of tree species.
Wonderful video Glenn thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Daryl Iams thanks, I hope you enjoy my channel
arboristBlairGlenn tremendously
Interesting video, but I am left wondering what the solution to the problem was and what happened finally. It's like having a plot outline to a play or movie without knowing what happened or how it ended. So ultimately, it was more frustrating than interesting.
OH DANG SWEET PANCAKES MOLASSES! That tree is YYYUUUUUGGEEE!
Charleston, SC, Hilton Head Island, SC, and Savannah, GA....in flood AND hurricane zone, massive 300+ year old Live Oaks throughout residential and historic construction areas. Seems by these arborist videos, these would be great areas for preventive and damage removal business.
Well, it seems to me that live oak tree is less resistant than Quercus robur and Quercus pubescens - english oak and downy oak. Pretty common trees in my country 🌳. But I can be wrong
Trees are sentient. They try to fall so as to do as little damage as possible.
That could of been real bad. Glad it wasn't. There's a tree in my neighborhood that came down in the middle of the house. It was a city tree. Wondered if anyone was home.
Good spotting others spur marks. I understand the owner sourcing more than one quote or could have been people helping out. Nice recording!
Simon Corbett thanks, I bid too high
Amazing -- that house had a real good chance of being TOAST
powerrangerjesus she was LUCKY!
Huge tree! Was the soil type/enclosed/landscape method conducive to ever-present wet ground?
jack prier don't really know but it did have a lot of fungal activity which leads me to believe wet environment
That is big for a 52 year tree. Oak in my country takes so much more time, probably different species too.
does not look like oak bark or oak leaves to me. Looks like a fast growing tree, like an alder.
I noticed that she had a lot of potted plants in the yard and on the patio. I wonder if she might have inadvertently brought in a disease that would be uncommon for this area?
Chuckles -- Doubt it but it w has been suggested that SOD came in from potted Rhododendrons
Thanks Blair
By Live Oak, do you mean Quercus Virginiana?
If so, they sure look alot different where I'm from in Central Florida. Nevertheless, I'm glad to see that minimal damage was done given the size of the tree.
That could have made for a really REALLY bad day for that homeowner
Chad Mako lots of different Live Oaks. This is Quercia agrifolia. Very common in California.
Aaaahh... Thanks for the clarification. I was wondering the same thing.
Yes, I live in the Florida panhandle and I was thinking the same thing throughout the entire video, that it's not Quercus virginiana.
Quercus virginiana equals White Oak Group--Quercusagrifolia equals Red Oak Group
Thank you Blair !
vincent7520 my pleasure
That tree is huge. I would have thought it was pushing 150 years old. I've never seen an oak tree grow so large so quickly. What do you think made it grow so big so quickly?
Love2boat92 planted 1964
2:32 Is that tree what I think it is? The one under the oak
Any idea why it got that big that fast or if it may be somehow connected with the failure (eg. lots of water -> easy fast growth but root system rot in the long run)?
Veseyron Good soil, leach field, no competition, irrigated- any or all of the above.
2:04 Looks like a Velociraptor neck/head.
🇺🇲💯
Awesome sharing here ! 5thumbs up :-)
That tree and I share the same birth year. Makes me sad.
Yikes, tons of wood that could have fallen in any direction, got lucky to not have worse carnage from that monster.
John Bare it could have been a lot worse! Did you see today's woodworking video I uploaded? Think you will like it John.
I wonder if it found a source of water like a tile drain pipe or something. That would explain the fast growth and perhaps the root rot too. Just spitballing here.
localcrew it did grow unusually large
"That's what she said!!"
Sorry. Can't help it sometimes.
localcrew I read that these Coast Live Oaks are evergreens so if they're getting sufficient moisture and sun I don't see why they wouldn't grow quite a bit year round. The excessive moisture could also explain the root rot and weak root system. If a tree's roots don't have to search far for water, they won't grow as big and vast as a tree that's not near water. Smaller root system=less sturdy base. I'm not an expert at all but I think this could make sense? A leaky water pipe underground could definitely be plausible
I had one branch snap off from a pine tree in my yard, it fell about 60' to the roof of my truck, and crushed it. (Yea, it was a very big branch.) I can't even imagine the damage an oak like that could have done.
JimsEquipmentShed bummer
arboristBlairGlenn
Our power was out for a week, and I wired the remains of my truck to a mini UPS so I could use it as an inverter and keep my lights on. (Back before I had a generator. So it was still handy. ;-) So it turned into an adventure.
long timer, thankfully retired tho pretty stoved up. seen tons, but this one's amazing for the small amount of damage incurred. haul out would be the most work on this one?
Michigan Mister not sure what "stoved up" means
lol, my gramp's term for "beat up", "stiff and sore", stuff like that. my hips, knees...arthritis. those redwoods and hackberries sure know about payback brother! stay safe Blair.
Michigan Mister well, i consider myself an "old timer" at age 63 but I have young man tendencies. I need to slow down a bit and recognize my weaknesses. --Naa, I'm going keep pushing!!
check this, I was born with one leg longer than the other. had to have one gaff shorter. (kidding). it did contribute to a hip replacement @ 43 though. remember, we didn't have buckets or anything to lift the wood. sheer man power and free climbs. NO REGRETS!
Michigan Mister A lifetime of hard work!
As a Midwesterner, its difficult for me to understand how trees grow so big and fast down in your regions climate. Do they grow back leaves as soon as they lose them? What would take 100 years up here, seems to only take 50 years by you. Mind boggling.
CONCERTMANchicago We don't get the same kind of freeze conditions and even in the Winter, the sun shines most of the time.
So can it be considered a desert oasis. Bookended by extended drought events?
CONCERTMANchicago that is one way to look at it. Up until the last six years or so, we had considerable rain.
TIme for the base ball impact soundings !!! Oak wood for the carvers and wood workers.
John Lord trunk is solid as can be, roots rotted only
Blair, did you do the removal?
Tyrone Layes no, she was getting many bids and I did not get called back
arboristBlairGlenn Ahh, I know how that feels...
lucky you...I know.
Acid rain is killing everything.
flyifri okay then
They call you donnyboy
I want that tree.....So much lumber
The problem is so blatantly obvious. The homeowners are completely delusional!
Did you get the job?
sparkyguy277 that's a whole other story. She didn't want to cut the tree until it was absolutely important?? No
+arboristBlairGlenn soo it gets to stay there?
arboristBlairGlenn so its a lawn ornament?
a jungle-gym for her grandkids?
Whats going wrong is the Chemtrails are killing the trees, by changing the ph of the soil, and interfering with nutrient uptake !
Jayson Cody proof?
Jayson Cody proof?
Don't get these guys started, Arborist.
kinda seems like a bad idea to have a tree that big that close to a house...
Absolutely right ..👍👍
Why the peoples plants such trees in the backyard ? Which grows huge & huge , over year after years without bearing any benefits. Such trees are place in forest only.
I can understand if peoples planting fruit bearing tree in the backyard which grows huge over the period of time.
That does not look like a Live Oak to me either..
huffyboy01 it is Coast Live Oak Quercus agrifolia
I was thinking the same thing. Doesn't look like any Live oak (or other oak) I've ever seen. But I'm in NE FL and thats in CA
it's a butt!
1964 it was planted?.....bullshit that oak is well over 80 years old and most likely around 110-130 years old
Marti woodchip NOT TRUE. This tree was planted in 1964! We deal with lots of huge trees that are not as old as some people think. In California, we don't have the snow or cold weather that slows down growth. I count ring on removals and I do know what I'm talking about. Keep your "bullshit" comment to yourself!
Best thing is never to plant a tree in the city or dense populated areas
I just paid several thousand dollars to get trees removed near my house. My question is why builders don't remove them before pouring foundation. Any 30 foot tree should be removed if less than 40+feet from new building,for example.
Is this California? Looks like some medical marijuana at 2:33?
Brock Steinbrook don't think so
Doesn't have to be medical here in California anymore, but it looks more like Japanese Maple.
It isn't weed
buymeacoffee.com/blairglenn
2:32 is that a marijuana plant?!
yes.. yes it is
observerreacts now I need to look closely but I didn't see one while I was there.
arboristBlairGlenn maybe its just a similar looking plant
observerreacts I think I would have seen it
Might be some kind of bromeliad?
Lucky it wasn't next to a road it could of and would of killed someone.
Tryinglittleleg this whole failure was a close call
arboristBlairGlenn well, we know whose more deadly force then trees..... Donald Trump! God save America
Tryinglittleleg don't rub it in
arboristBlairGlenn Now I'm not laughing I'm scared how could he win?
The moral of the story is . ?
keith bickerdike no moral here just an unfortunate situation that could not be predicted.
Prevention is better than cure ?