Black oak being eaten by grasshoppers???

[david1332]

Alright so I have a customer with a very large black oak in their backyard. At first glance the tree looks very healthy( full canopy, little deadwood, no peeling bark , etc.) however when I went to the other side I noticed a split going from the bottom, up to about 10-15 feet. I look inside and it's very obviously split all the way to the other side( 1/2 inch gap) and I noticed a fairly large bug inside!! As I looked closer at the tree( it was fairly dark) I noticed more and more inside the split and around the trunk.
It's about 70 feet tall and near my customers house. I'm thinking removal but I want to be sure that this is the right way to go. The only other option I see would be to greatly reduce all the limbs putting outward stress on the trunk, but it would be left sort of bare... I hate to do it but I think it's just a safety issue now. Here is what I found. Please help me understand exactly what this is and why it happens

 

[david1332]

I'm not sure if they're eating it or just living inside. Some insight would help do I can fully educate my client

 

[Jed1124]

The crickets are living in the crack, not directly harming the tree. I think this would be a instance to bring a consulting arborist on site to do a tree risk assessment.

 

[david1332]

The crickets are living in the crack, not directly harming the tree. I think this would be a instance to bring a consulting arborist on site to do a tree risk assessment.

Alright that makes a lot more sense. I've just never seen grasshoppers living inside a tree before

 

[Jed1124]

The guy I use charges $300. When there is a tree that your not sure about that a client want to keep its great to get that second opinion.

 

[david1332]

The guy I use charges $300. When there is a tree that your not sure about that a client want to keep its great to get that second opinion.

How does it look to you? The rot inside is pretty severe.

 

[Jed1124]

It's really hard to say from a picture. If you have a local Bartlett, Davey, or Save A Tree they usually have someone on staff certified in tree risk assessment.

 

[david1332]

It's really hard to say from a picture. If you have a local Bartlett, Davey, or Save A Tree they usually have someone on staff certified in tree risk assessment.

I'll do some research.

 

[Jason Douglas]

It's really hard to say from a picture. If you have a local Bartlett, Davey, or Save A Tree they usually have someone on staff certified in tree risk assessment.

Call and support a local small business with a BCMA or RCA ON staff.

TRAQ is ok but depends on the level of assessment.

 

[ATH]

Just throwing a 3 vote to find a second opinion from somebody trained/knowledgeable/experienced in tree risk assessment.

None of the big companies mentioned operate in my immediate area. I did have an out of town client have me visit to look at a tree one of those companies had evaluated and they were rude to the client (which was why they lost the client's trust and he called me). Besides that, frankly, they did a terrible job. For one they over emphasized the risk posed by a relatively small limb. Then they cabled the limb when pruning would have been a much better option (less costly, more effective, and not detrimental to the tree). Since then I have asked around and have heard several negative opinions from other well-respected arborists about the same office. I am not saying it is a national trend, maybe it is just this office??? I am just saying just because they have the big name, don't assume they are the best option...ask around.

 

[david1332]

Just throwing a 3 vote to find a second opinion from somebody trained/knowledgeable/experienced in tree risk assessment.

None of the big companies mentioned operate in my immediate area. I did have an out of town client have me visit to look at a tree one of those companies had evaluated and they were rude to the client (which was why they lost the client's trust and he called me). Besides that, frankly, they did a terrible job. For one they over emphasized the risk posed by a relatively small limb. Then they cabled the limb when pruning would have been a much better option (less costly, more effective, and not detrimental to the tree). Since then I have asked around and have heard several negative opinions from other well-respected arborists about the same office. I am not saying it is a national trend, maybe it is just this office??? I am just saying just because they have the big name, don't assume they are the best option...ask around.

There's a few isa men and women around me with the risk assessment cert. 1 from save a tree a few from the local municipalities and a few private guys

 

[david1332]

I'm gonna call up the local municipal guy first( that is if the client just doesn't want to take it down) I talked with the wife and she said her husband has been preparing her for its removal for a few years now lol

 

[ATH]

Is it a municipal tree? If so, would it be their responsibility to remove it? If not, can they evaluate it? There may be a situation where if there is an Arborist in Town A, he or she could do private for hire work in Town B, but I'd be surprised if they could do private work in Town A. I'd also be surprised if the city would allow them to evaluate private trees on the clock that are not municipal responsibility... Of course they may be willing to do it on their own time for free just for kicks???

 

[david1332]

Is it a municipal tree? If so, would it be their responsibility to remove it? If not, can they evaluate it? There may be a situation where if there is an Arborist in Town A, he or she could do private for hire work in Town B, but I'd be surprised if they could do private work in Town A. I'd also be surprised if the city would allow them to evaluate private trees on the clock that are not municipal responsibility... Of course they may be willing to do it on their own time for free just for kicks???

No it's not a town tree

 

[Jason Douglas]

Then see our previous posts...

 

[Jason Douglas]

Personally had bad experiences with "experts" from Big Yellow, Green, etc.

Just sayin...

Not to say they're all bums.

 

[JeffGu]

Those are Rhaphidophoridae (camel crickets) and they eat fungus. When they run out of fungus, they'll eat anything... even each other.

No self-respecting grasshopper would live in a tree. He'd chew it flush to the ground, then go after Grandma's prized Azalia bushes. Grasshoppers look like this:

 

[Conquistador3]

Those are crickets just living in there.
Something else caused that crack and then rot set in. And that rot is far too advanced to do anything about it.

Personally, and it's a personal opinion, I would advise removal. In case of such extended rot all anybody can give you is an educated guess, not an assessment. That tree may still be standing in twenty years or fall down in three during an ordinary thunderstorm: short of carrying out expensive tests (which would come up at several times the full cost of removal) there's no way to tell how rot is advanced and especially how it's propagating and hence affecting stability.

 

[Jason Douglas]

JeffGu looks like this...

I'll take the crickets please.

 

[Pelorus]

That tree didn't get become the way it is, all of a sudden and the degree of risk tolerance is up to the client. If they like their tree, and are at peace with the possible eventuality that it might someday crunch something or someone, then your work is done. I'd give them a quotation for removing it, and not further trouble them.
Anything else you do here ("saving" the tree) would be like a veterinarian recommending false teeth for a 15 year old hound...