Tree Down

[David Mack]

Earlier this evening I was calmly sitting on the bottom gate balance beam of Lower Lock on the Stort as the lock emptied, when I heard a very load crack from the direction of a group of willow trees on the offside below the lock. This was followed by a couple of other quieter cracks, and then the tree on the offside bank slowly dropped into the river.  Moments later, a man came running out of the trees, saying that was the third tree to have come down in those woods in two days, and that the path was now completely blocked. Coincidence?  Or has the recent weather put trees under that much stress?

 

 

Fortunately the river is still passable.

 

And for our resident tree expert, here is a passing view of where it failed.

 

Edited July 29, 2018 by David Mack

[matty40s]

Crack Willow, aptly named, high winds for the first time in a couple of months. They won't be the only ones to have failed this weekend. 

[Phil Ambrose]

Looks like Crack Willow to me, they get their name because that's what they do.....crack 

I recall seeing one by my mates mooring, it was a couple of feet in diameter and as the wind gusted you could see it open up by about an inch.  He moved his boat till the marina got a tree surgeon in to take care if it.

The whole marina is swamped with the damned things and over the years I've seen some real big ones 4 or 5 feet in diameter come down , luckily none hit a boat

Phil 

Edited July 29, 2018 by Phil Ambrose

[tree monkey]

Yup to phil and matty.

 

Highish winds mid summer, full leaf canopy, susceptible species.

 

There's a suggestion the propensity to snap is an evolved strategy,  the snapped bit is still attached to the main trunk, the snapped bit roots and forms a new tree.

[bizzard]

Loads and loads of these crack willows on the Stort. One came down just behind me a couple of years ago. They're full of moisture and springy which is why I think the busted off branches hang on and don't let go. Even when sawing branches off it'll hang on right to the last shred. A branch broke and rested on the overhead power lines here a while ago, the whole top of the tree caught light and at night it was quite lovely.  I think its the crack willow that when pollarded lower and lower several times become what they call Osiers, lots of thin shoots sprouting up and used for basket making.

Edited July 30, 2018 by bizzard

[Stilllearning]

Proper Latin name is Salix Fragilis, which rather tells you all you need to know. Stress from heat, drought stress plus a heavy leaf canopy probably helping them to live up to their name.

[Insane.Pringle]

2 hours ago, bizzard said:

Loads and loads of these crack willows on the Stort. One came down just behind me a couple of years ago. They're full of moisture and springy which is why I think the busted off branches hang on and don't let go. Even when sawing branches off it'll hang on right to the last shred. A branch broke and rested on the overhead power lines here a while ago, the whole top of the tree caught light and at night it was quite lovely.  I think its the crack willow that when pollarded lower and lower several times become what they call Osiers, lots of thin shoots sprouting up and used for basket making.

 Ah.. so that's why the crack willow that is on the the other side of the river bank to my flat has decided to try and reach the other side of the river.  CRT 'trimmed' it a couple of years ago with some blokes on one of their work boats using an extended reach chainsaw.

Unless you have an elsan/water point where you are moored, you have to move to my side of the river to get round it and up to the elsan/water point in stortford.

Edited July 30, 2018 by Insane.Pringle
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