This tree was girdled by a vandal using a chainsaw. The tree's appraisal value was over $11,000.

The depth and width of the cut, as indicated by the cell phone placed in the cut, has doomed this tree.

The cuts removed phloem tissue (the inner bark) that carries photosynthates (sugars and starches) produced by the leaves down to the roots. Without the phloem the roots do not receive the photosynthates needed to keep them alive. Once the roots die, water and nutrient uptake by the roots to the top of the tree ceases.

Even without water and nutrients reaching the top of the tree it may take several years for this tree to die. A tree this size has large quantities of stored energy and water in its trunk and branches. This tree will utilize these resources before it dies completely. As these resources are depleted, leaves and branches and finally, the complete tree will die. As the tree declines in health, insects that feed on dead and dying trees will invade the tree. Wood rotting fungi will also become more problematic.

The roots on this tree will die more quickly than the top of the tree. As the roots die, rot organisms will invade the dead and dying tissue resulting in a tree that is poorly anchored in the ground. This results in a hazardous tree.

A hazardous tree is defined as a tree that:

1. is likely to fail due to rot, mechanical damage or other factors and
2. has a target.

This tree qualifies as being hazardous. It is going to fail and likely to come crashing down. And, there is a house (the target) on the other side of the road within reach of the tree if it falls.

Return to the Trees and Vandals Homepage