Aye, 'tis true. Another reason to extend something like Rickelfs' diagram displaying the range of requirements and limitations for each organism, as I have suggested to EoL. One would just plug in the species, and violá (!), the suitability of the site conditions to the organism(s) concerned would be displayed--a predictive model for, say, warming, radiation, etc, etc, and who knows, maybe even the effects, if any, of charcoal, ad infinitum.
WT ----- Original Message ----- From: Martin Meiss To: Wayne Tyson Cc: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2013 10:03 PM Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Tree stump removal in sensitive area Wayne's method sounds pretty neat, but no matter what you do, you might find that the success and the appearance of your current plantings changes. After all, they no longer will have a tree above them. Shade-loving plants may be discomfited and resentful. Martin M. Meiss 2013/1/17 Wayne Tyson <[email protected]> You can cut out a large cavity (about half the diameter, but at least four inches of trunk left all the way around) in the stump and fill it with charcoal, and set it afire. Under most conditions, the tree and large roots will burn slowly from the inside out. You might later get a nice crop of morels in some areas. If it stops burning, add more charcoal. There should be no flame, just glowing hellfire. Protect the area from children and other curious critters; it may take a day or more, depending upon how deep you want to go. When it's deep enough. I've seen big tree roots burn as far down as six or eight feet. It may take a lot of water to cool it down completely. If the outside of the stump fails to burn to within a couple of inches of the bark, you may have to mechanically cut it away from the inside. You also can do more burning, but usually it will burn all the way to the bark, as the heat dries out the fuel ahead of the burning core, as it progresses down and out. WT ----- Original Message ----- From: "Scott Creary" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2013 8:42 AM Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Tree stump removal in sensitive area Does anyone have any experience removing tree stumps from very sensitive areas? We have a botanically important planting around a tree that we need to remove for safety reasons, but we cannot leave an unsightly stump in the process. However, the traditional grinders or pick-axe method won't work as it would destroy the surrounding plantings. Does anyone know of a way to remove stumps or decompose them quickly such that the area is plant-able soon after tree removal (a year or so)? I'm going out on a limb with this, but I feel that managed areas are sometimes the most ecologically important, especially in a highly urban environment like where we are. Thanks much! -- Scott Creary, M.S. Entomology, ISA Certified Arborist IPM Specialist Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens www.phipps.conservatory.org ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1430 / Virus Database: 2638/5539 - Release Date: 01/17/13 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1430 / Virus Database: 2638/5539 - Release Date: 01/17/13
