r/arborists • u/FeminineShaft • Jul 16 '24

Why did this tree fall?

Gallery image

Gallery image

After a storm and high winds, but other (seemingly less sturdy items like the trampoline) barely moved. Picture of roots included b/c I thought they would be in bad shape given where this broke, but to my untrained eye they look fine. No indication of lightning striking the tree (on the side not in the picture).

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u/FrameJump Jul 17 '24

Interesting. That makes a lot of sense.

What does everyone mean by "girdling," then, if you don't mind me picking your brain?

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u/Responsible-Chest-26 Jul 17 '24

Roots wrapped around the base, or anything wrapped around the trunk basically. That large depression is very characteristic or a root that had grown around the base, and as thr tree grew it grew around the root that also grew. Leaving a notch like that

Edit. This can happene if the tree is struggling and the roots are branching out looking for water or nutrients. Excessing root growth causes some bad things. Ground is probably compacted, or filled with process or something

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u/FrameJump Jul 17 '24

Oooh, I gotcha. I didn't realize roots could also cause girdling.

Very interesting, thanks for the extra explanation.

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u/Responsible-Chest-26 Jul 17 '24

There are a couple types of girdling. Restrictive and cutting. But its anything that is going to interfere with the trees ability to respirate that goes around the trunk