January 25, 2018

RIP Old Cobbham Friends

The Cobbham neighborhood in Athens is home to many beautiful old trees, many of which are stately oaks. Unfortunately, the neighborhood is losing two of these large treasures today. These trees are not being removed heedlessly, rest assured. Unfortunately, they present a danger to the homeowner and their neighbors.

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A common problem in urban trees is root decay due to fungus. These trees suffered from Inonotus root rot fungus. This can go unnoticed because if you look at the trunk and branches of the tree, it stands tall and strong, with no signs of distress.

The inonotus root rot at the base of the tree. 
The inonotus root rot at the base of the tree.

This fungus eats away at the roots, far underground and out of sight, with sometimes very little indication that they are there weakening the support system.

We hate to remove these beautiful trees, but we hope to keep the Athens neighborhoods safe from structural failures. Keep an eye out for fungus around the base of your trees, particularly oaks. Give us a call, we would be happy to help figure out the best plan for your trees.

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Read more about root fungus.