That big silver maple in Akron taught me to check for hollow spots twice

We were taking down a big limb over a garage, and my cut felt wrong halfway through. The saw just dropped into a hollow I missed on the climb. I had to stop, tie off above the bad spot, and finish the cut from a new position. It added an hour to the job. How do you guys check for hidden rot on old trees like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_luna2mo ago

Tap the trunk with your knuckles like you're checking a melon at the grocery store. If it sounds like a dead thud instead of a solid thunk, you've got problems. I also give suspect limbs a good poke with a screwdriver. Learned that the hard way after my pruning saw disappeared into what looked like a perfectly fine branch. Felt like a total goof standing there holding half a handle.

max_rodriguez712mo ago

Yeah the screwdriver test is a lifesaver... I've had that same sinking feeling when a branch just gives way. Another thing I do is look for those little piles of sawdust at the base of the tree, means bugs are having a feast inside. If the bark pulls away too easy, that's a bad sign too. Basically if a tree looks a little off, it probably is.

the_nina2mo ago

That screwdriver trick from @the_luna saved my ladder last spring.