Tree at Success & Lake Morton to be Removed
The city of Lakeland asked the Lake Morton Neighborhood Association to inform the residents of Lake Morton that the tree at the corner of Lake Morton Drive and Success Ave will be removed. Below are a two key passages of the very long assessment from E Sciences, Inc. hired by the city to assess the tree.
During our assessment, it appeared that the tree was heathy with some areas of dieback and low crown density, however, the tree has structural defects which cannot be corrected. The trunk forms a basal codominant with included bark. This condition occurs when one or more trunks emanate from grade and contact one another. This union was inspected with the use of a probe and it was determined that there is no connective tissue between the two trunks. The original connective tissue has decayed due to the contact pressure from annual secondary growth in the trunks.
The tree has average-good health but should not be preserved because of the structural defect of the included, basal codominant. The decay in the south trunk will exacerbate the decay associated with the inclusion. There is no viable options to mitigate the included, basal codominant. Bracing with rods would not likely be successful over time due to the additional decay in the more external areas of the south trunk. There is likely not enough sound wood to hold the nuts and washers in the location where the rods would need to be installed. As there are targets of people and/or property in this area, and we have identified no viable mitigation options to correct the structural defect, the tree is recommended for removal.
See the Arborist’s Report HERE.
