Trunk Inspection of an Oak with Significant Decay

Robert Booty of San Jose's Arborist OnSite inspected this particular tree which, like most Oaks, was a a challenge to scan because Oaks tend to have very bumpy trunks that necessitate “sector” scans, i.e., scanning around these bumpy areas. It was clear that the trunk was compromised since the missing branch about 20’ high (shown in the 2nd slide) clearly showed decay but it was unknown what the extent of this was at various other elevations in the trunk.

The scan showed that the trunk was severely decayed with only about 7” of solid wood left throughout the entire periphery at all elevations scanned and, quite likely, throughout the entire trunk’s length. In other words, it was a hollow shell. The recommendation was made to take the tree down.The tree company that felled it was instructed to make cuts at the red painted horizontal stripes that showed the various elevations where a scan took place.

Click Here to View the Scan Details and Photos, and see how the radar results very accurately predicted the internal trunk decay.