Had a 40 foot oak split right down the middle during a storm last spring

Was working a job in Portland and the whole crown came apart at the union, now I always check for included bark before I even grab my climbing gear because that tree looked healthy from the ground, anyone else had a tree surprise them like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

masondixon1mo ago

Man oh man, that's a scary one. I had a buddy who climbed a big silver maple that looked solid as a rock from the ground, but when he got up there, half the trunk was just hollow and full of ants. He didn't notice until his spike went right through the bark and into nothing. Now I'm paranoid about every tree I pass on a windy day, even if it's just sitting pretty in someone's yard. Makes you wonder how many of those "healthy" trees we walk by every day are just waiting to come apart.

mila_craig41mo agoMost Upvoted

Your buddy didn't notice any signs of decay from the ground before he climbed it? I'm curious what the bark actually looked like from below - was it just a perfectly normal-looking tree with no peeling or mushrooms at the base? Because that's what really spooks me, the idea that you can't tell until you sink a spike into it.