freeze checked hemlocks

[da new feller]

hi,
i'm kinda new to this tree felling deal, don't get me wrong i know enough to ask around if i don't quite understand something. i've been keeping busy (lol) felling mostly fir here in western washington. i had a woman call me and she's got 6-7 hemlocks that are freeze checked. i never heard that terminology before but it doesn't sound very good. i've looked around on the net with no results. anyone mind letting me in on this? i'm supposed go take a look at them this weekend. did i mention they're near her house. any insight or advice would greatly be appreciated.

thanks, jon

 

[Husky137]

Keep in mind that most homewoners don't know what the hell they are talking about. It amazes me the plethora of local slang, urban legend, myth and general misinformation and BS that people spew.

Some homeownwers actually think that a notch will dissuade the forces of physics and make the tree fall wherever you put the notch. I guess its a magic wand kind of thingy.

Tell her it costs more to deal with the dangers of freeze checking.

 

[Canyonbc]

Keep in mind that most homewoners don't know what the hell they are talking about. It amazes me the plethora of local slang, urban legend, myth and general misinformation and BS that people spew.

Some homeownwers actually think that a notch will dissuade the forces of physics and make the tree fall wherever you put the notch. I guess its a magic wand kind of thingy.

Tell her it costs more to deal with the dangers of freeze checking.

Oh totally true...

I dont want to change the thread here, but there are some whacked people. I took a 75 ft fir down 3 days ago...flop it...chip, and leave the wood....but she tried to convince me that she put a spell on the tree and that is why it died...i thought she was kidding, so i laughed...she was furious when i did that.

Never heard of what you are talking about, maybe get some pictures when you look at it...when you see it.

 

[Beast12]

i had a woman call me and she's got 6-7 hemlocks that are freeze checked.

Maybe FROST CRACKED? Do hemlocks do that?

-Matt

 

[PA Plumber]

She can tell this by looking at the outside of the tree?

We have the Woolly Adelgid in our area, but didn't think it had made it to the West Coast yet.

 

[kevinj]

hi,
i'm kinda new to this tree felling deal, don't get me wrong i know enough to ask around if i don't quite understand something. i've been keeping busy (lol) felling mostly fir here in western washington. i had a woman call me and she's got 6-7 hemlocks that are freeze checked. i never heard that terminology before but it doesn't sound very good. i've looked around on the net with no results. anyone mind letting me in on this? i'm supposed go take a look at them this weekend. did i mention they're near her house. any insight or advice would greatly be appreciated.

thanks, jon

She may be reffering to " frost crack."

Check out this site : www.treedictionary.com

Maybe it will help.

you.

 

[BC WetCoast]

hi,
i'm kinda new to this tree felling deal, don't get me wrong i know enough to ask around if i don't quite understand something. i've been keeping busy (lol) felling mostly fir here in western washington. i had a woman call me and she's got 6-7 hemlocks that are freeze checked. i never heard that terminology before but it doesn't sound very good. i've looked around on the net with no results. anyone mind letting me in on this? i'm supposed go take a look at them this weekend. did i mention they're near her house. any insight or advice would greatly be appreciated.

thanks, jon

She probably means frost cracks, which occurs when temperatures drop rapidly and there is a differential in expansion/contraction rates between the bark and sap wood. The sap wood shrinks greater causing the bark to crack. Over time, this crack will heal. Timber cruisers also call this a 'kitty scar' (the name isn't really kitty, but the site won't let me put in the real term, but I suspect you get my drift) http://www.arboristsite.com/images/smilies/hmm3grin2orange.gif
:hmm3grin2orange:'. It has little affect on the tree, except as an entry point for fungal infection.

However, unless these trees are pretty high up the hill (higher elevation), I don't think the climate of the Olympics is going to be cold enough to cause frost cracks. I live in Vancouver and have worked up and down the West Coast and only see it at high elevations and very seldom in hemlocks.

She may also be referring to internal checking or shattering in the wood, usually caused by swaying in heavy winds. Fibres shear and break longitudinally. This only affects the quality of lumber and not the strength of the tree.

But as others have stated, it will cost extra to work in a 'frost checked' tree.

[I[/I]