An 80 year old summer oak, planted at the time as symbol for new life on the battlefield, is heavy dammaged.
The offender used a chainsaw.

A treedoctor treated the oak.
There's 40% chance the tree will stay alive.

The tree is planted at approx 150m in front of the cemetery, direction Zonnebeke village.

Marnik

Mindless vandals!

Actually that looks as though its been done for a purpose, to attach a cable.

Mick

Actually that looks as though its been done for a purpose, to attach a cable.

Mick

Is the tree protected by law? also why on earth has it been attacked the marks look like this has happened before.

looking at the tractor tyre marks, i reckon that its been used as an anchor point for a wire hawser or such like, doesn't look like chainsaw damage from here, but who's to say.

I think someone uses it to stretch fencing wire.

It might look unsightly but it wont kill it. the other option might be someone using it as an anchor point to strip covering off copper or aluminium cable.

Mick

there is little or no fencing in that area, it's all arable, no fences .



a complete ringing of the bark, to the outer sap wood will eventually kill it, if disease doesn't get it first.

In Belgium a cut down license is obliged.
The oak is(was) in a good condition and a license wood be refused.So the other way is to let die the tree slowly by cutting the bark.
The offender used a chainsaw, that's as sure as fate.
A complaint is lodged by an ecology group.
The offender is known.

Marnik

No it won't. It may lack some growth for a while and as I said, look unsightly but it will recover. How much was the Tree Surgeon paid? Round the bark edges off, seal with some thick mud and there you go. Its a tree!

Mick

And yes I do know. I can discuss phloem, cambium and xylem all day long if you want.

Mick

Well, it does look like mud around the chainsaw cuts.

If a chainsaw wheres the sawdust?

Connaught Stranger

Indeed. I also notice that there are markings as if something has been pulled tightly around the tree on maybe more than one occasion, both above and below the more severe ringing damage.

Wounds are serious enough by themselves, but the wounded tree must also protect itself from pathogens that invade the wound. These microorganisms often attack the injured bark and invade adjacent healthy tissue, greatly enlarging the affected area. Trees can be completely girdled from microbial attack following injury. Decay fungi also become active on the wound surface, and structural deterioration of the woody tissues beneath the wound will often occur.

it would appear that the tree has recieved attention from a tree surgeon, with the wound trimmed and treated, hence the chainsaw marks, however i would have shaped and trimmed the damage with a knife, my thoughts are still that this is severe wire damage.
Painting on a proprierty compound will help prevent sun scald, fungi etc, however recovery is debatable, when a tree's bark has been completely ringed as in this case, if only upto 50% of the circumference had been damaged, the tree would heal itself, again in this case it appears completeley ringed, and therefore damaged beyond repair.

That NC State University site sure knows what it's beatin' its gums about, don't it?

well it backs up my prognosis so thats the end of that

I have seen several trees like this - in fact I have one in my own garden. The mark looks very much like the one that is made by something tight remaining around the tree as it is growing - a rope, wire etc. Where it is standing in the field looks as it there might have been a fence there at one time, the fence could have been removed some time ago and the wire left around the tree. The filler may be there simply to stop ingress of moisture which might freeze in the winter and further damage the bark layer or lying water which might encourage rot in the warmer months. Of course it may be someone ringing the tree with a chainsaw to kill it - if so they were pretty clumsy.

If anyone is a bit bewildered by statements, retractions, silent corrections etc. in this thread. let me know. I can let them see all the originals.

Email on the way Tom - some posts are definitely not saying now what I remembered them saying. All very confusing when trying to see how some prognoses are supposed to have been vindicated, when the prognoses in question aren't saying what you recalled them as saying. If you see what I mean. All very confusing in a can't-see-the-wood-for-the-trees kind of way.

as you are clearly refering to me i edited my posts so they were clearer and more techincal to apease certain members here who don't think i know what i'm on about, well fellas i do, nice to see this post has been dragged off topic by the normal offenders.
accept the tree will eventually die from this act, i have nothing further to add.

If you say so.

where?

Don't be such a misanthrope Willy. What's so offensive about normal people? And anyway, the only person who could drag "this post" off topic is you - the rest of the thread's doing alright for something only tenuously linked to the war anyway!

right off topic we go, isn't it past your bedtime?

Only a thought: the tree was planted, it seems in the 1920's, as a memorial. As far as I can see, there seems to be no obvious notice to that effect, so the perpetrator (who seems to be 'known', according the Marnik) possibly didn't know the tree had any special significance.

In that case, he might possibly be excused - a handy tree to anchor a cable to is a handy tree to anchor a cable to, after all. Obviously we can't excuse his stupidity for not knowing more about how to use a tree as an anchor, but it seems unlikely this was deliberate vandalism, merely stupidity. It also does seem apparent he wasn't trying to chop down the tree, so again stupidity rather than deliberate vandalism seems the worst he can stand accused of.

Marnik also says the perpetrator is 'known', so I wonder if the gentleman can actually explain how the damage was caused (to clear up any misunderstanding or disagreement on the Forum).

Finally, I wonder if Marnik would be able to keep us updated on the tree's health. Not quite the standard of posting bulletins on the Palace railings, but as it seems to have inflamed passions, it would be nice to know.

And finally, finally ( ), like others, I do find the editing and so on of earlier posts a touch confusing, but at least everyone seems to agree about the tree's prognosis.

Do they? Is that in the sense that it will live (prognosis 1a) or it will die (prognosis 1b)?

Sorry, Mr C. I mislaid the tongue in cheek smiley.

We're all going to go sometime...........

Don't worry, Mr B. I'd accidentally switched off my irony detector. Now functioning once more...once more...once more... dammit, on the blink already!

Definitely the usual suspects. Any way one posting - seemingly ignored for the sake of having a good argument - does state that the offender is known which ought to mean that light can be thrown on possible motive etc etc. Whatever the case it doesn't alter the case that yet another monument has effectively been vandalised and probably destroyed.

Usual suspects?? please explain
tafski

If you don't recognise this common expression I'm happy to leave you in blissful ignorance.

one thing i aint and that is ignorant ok
tagfski

usual suspects, who? and i doubt if the"suspect" who did the damage is going to own up do you?

Guys,
This is about an 80 year old Oak and the damage this has received, OK!!!!

Andy

Andy
not a problem and understand where you comming from but just let centurian lets us know the so called usual posters

he can have his say let him explain his comment or is it just yet another cheap shot with no response the wonders of a key board and screen

tafski

content edited for abuse remark directed at another member.

What could have been an interesting topic has now fallen foul as a slanging match. Andy did state the topic was about the tree/damage, not usual suspects.

Could everyone in future be more courteous. This is a family site.

Thread closed.