fpyontek
ArboristSite Operative
New England Jim, I believe it wasn't the co-dominant stems that brought this tree down, but the fact that the tree has a basal wood decay. If you could, please post another picture of base of the tree where it broke away from the stump. At the broken section of trunk you should find tan to rust colored wood that will easily break away in chunks. Other more normal colored wood you should be able to pull apart using your fingernail.
In the Northeast I have found that, in oak trees, many times the only outward sign of a problem is that the base of the trunk does not flow smoothly into the ground. The base of the trunk instead appears bulbous, for lack of a better description. I believe this abnormal growth is a result of an ongoing process of compartmentalization by the tree and reinfection by the fungi.
What happens is this particular fungi break down the cellulose fibers in the wood so that, while it looks solid, has little tensile strength.
New England Jim, you should look carefully at the base of the remaining tree for the same symptoms as described above. You may find that the remaining trunk also has trunk rot.
For more information see :
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue/swofidsc/stemdecay/brntrunkrot.html
Fred
In the Northeast I have found that, in oak trees, many times the only outward sign of a problem is that the base of the trunk does not flow smoothly into the ground. The base of the trunk instead appears bulbous, for lack of a better description. I believe this abnormal growth is a result of an ongoing process of compartmentalization by the tree and reinfection by the fungi.
What happens is this particular fungi break down the cellulose fibers in the wood so that, while it looks solid, has little tensile strength.
New England Jim, you should look carefully at the base of the remaining tree for the same symptoms as described above. You may find that the remaining trunk also has trunk rot.
For more information see :
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue/swofidsc/stemdecay/brntrunkrot.html
Fred