Co-dominant stems
The pictures below show a paperbark tree growing between 2 houses with an included bark co-dominant stem. Sometimes this condition when close the ground is also called bifarcation of the trunk. This tree was failing upon my visit. However due to the proximity of service wires this removal will be the responsibility of Energex. The tree was splitting and resting on the neighbours roof and service wires. There was a grand total of 8 service wires to the 2 houses.
The ironic thing was I was called to the house to prune the Tipuana tree in the backyard. It can be seen on the fence-line behind the paperbark in the second picture. When I looked toward the road and saw this I knew it was danger as soon as my eyes laid upon it. As I was walking up I was telling the customer it was most likely cracked and failing, when we got there I was spot on, and that was from 50' away.
When the majority of trees fail they tend to fail at weak unions or over extended branches, the science in calculating a trees safety with regard to strength and form is what I have extensive knowledge in. It is no longer a guestimation but a science that prudent arborists can gain with specialised training, experience and equipment.
