The Board has unanimously voted to remove this tree based upon the investigation, assessment and recommendation of our arborist Lee McBride.
Report Summary:
1. The tree is hollow and the organism digesting the tree is still advancing.
2. Average trunk wood thickness of the four sites tested with the Resistograph is five inches. One location was only 2 inches.
3. To be considered sound [safe], a tree this size needs a minimum trunk wood thickness of eight to twelve inches.
4. The decay is continuing to advance and the shell wall of the tree will become thinner over time if the tree continues to stand. [The tree is being consumed from the inside out]
Lee's Recommendation: To mitigate the highest risk, which is failure of the entire tree or the majority of the tree in a high wind event, removal of the entire tree is strongly recommended and the work should be performed as soon as arrangements can be made.
Recommended Alternative: Place a protective fence around the tree (a diameter of 150 feet) to discourage people from entering the danger zone.
The Board has placed warning signs on the tree as a temporary measure while we wait to have the tree removed. We have received and accepted a proposal from the same company that safely and effectively removed the other three trees in the circle. We do not have a schedule yet, but expect the company will provide us with one week notice before removing the tree. As part of this contract, the company will remove three other trees in our community.
1. Tree near Fernbridge entrance that was damaged by an automobile.
2. Tree near Fernbridge entrance that was damaged in a fire in January.
3. Dead tree on HOA property behind 161 Fernbridge.
The Board has also approved a fall planting plan to replace these trees in the circle, the two trees near the Fernbridge entrance, modify, upgrade, and improve the trees and bushes around the pool area, and place trees along Balch road north of the creek to the grounds of Columbia Elementary School.
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