We had Northwest Arbiculture out to do some tree trimming. We removed one tree, conducted a diagnostic test on another, and trimmed a large Red alder that was listing precariously over the shed. This work has been on the calendar for two months.

They sent out two guys who knew their stuff well. One of them is an licensed arborist. He performed a resistance test on an 80 foot Douglas fir. The tree has a blemish, wound, or some kind of defect high up the trunk. Trent noticed the defect when he did an inspection of the property a couple of months ago. A Micro-resistence Recording Drill bore through the trunk and measured resistence on a graph. As the bit bores through the trunk it meets resistence causing the graph lines to squiggle. If no resistence, meaning wood rot, the line is straight. If over 30% of the graph has a straight line, the tree needs to come down. The tree proved to be in good condition.

My primary concern had to do with a tree propped up by another and covered in ivy. The only thing holding it up is the ivy. This tree is a danger to anyone passing along the road. They cut it out of the ivy and shredded it into mulch before I got home. Removing the ivy and this tree revealed the steep bank and the next series of trees to fall. According to the crew, no tree will fall imminently. However, they will fall eventually in my estimation.

Lastly, we cut off some dead wood off this beautiful Red alder that hovered over the shed. I’m not making any of this up. Here, take a look, I took some pictures.