what are they doing here ? Keeping the tree from growing anymore or??

12/16/2006 11:32:46 AM

for some type of pest

you can't just stop a tree from growing like that

12/16/2006 11:43:34 AM

ants I think.

12/16/2006 11:51:26 AM

Oak tree > dinky aluminum band

12/16/2006 11:56:02 AM

sticky?

12/16/2006 12:01:33 PM

It's actually to keep bears from climbing it.

12/16/2006 12:20:49 PM

to make you ask questions, worked didn't it?

jk

I believe its for some ants or something. not positive.

12/16/2006 12:44:18 PM

if that thing is tight it will girdle and kill the tree eventually

^hm, why do they do that? ants are on every tree and those ants are harmless

[Edited on December 16, 2006 at 12:53 PM. Reason : d]

12/16/2006 12:51:30 PM

well these bands are on every tree in charlotte

12/16/2006 6:13:00 PM

in charlotte they were for the..dangit i cant remember. definitely not for ants, but for some sort of pest.

12/16/2006 6:16:42 PM

they do stuff like that on birdfeeders to stop squirrels

12/16/2006 6:27:15 PM

Yeah, probably for squirrels. I know they put metal bands around coconut trees in hawaii to stop the rats from climbing up and eating coconuts.

12/16/2006 8:08:43 PM

^Doubt it would be for squirrels, it would be dumb (on their part) if it was. Squirrels jump, and will get in a tree if they want to.

12/16/2006 8:48:03 PM

since its on the street i'm sure it was scarred by some sort of truck or smthg? Maybe they are protecting it from borers that can go into the wound? I am not sure...just a guess, but i like me some trees...I'm sure its a white oak or a willow oak. not sure though

12/17/2006 12:37:21 AM

im pretty sure its for squirrels

12/17/2006 12:39:24 AM

Quote :

" Control tips for common nuisance species in New York * Gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis * Red squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus * Fox squirrel, Sciurus niger * Northern flying squirrel, Glaucomys sabrinus * Southern flying squirrel, Glaucomys volans Prevent entry into building: First step: Remove any current residents. Exclude them with a one-way door when the young are old enough to be mobile. (For squirrels in a chimney, see the rope trick, described in the second bullet under "if young are present...") If this is a preventive action, or there are no young present, can: 1. Replace plastic attic vents with metal designs that are securely attached to the building, or screen them with 1/2" hardware cloth. Attic vents are a common entry point for squirrels. 2. Seal openings at the joints of siding, overhanging eaves, and where pipes and utility lines enter buildings. Plug gaps around water, gas, and heating pipes with latex caulk. For large holes around pipes, use galvanized metal pipe chase covers, sheet metal plates, mortar, plaster of paris, or cement. 3. Cover chimney flues with commercial caps, and seal any gaps in the chimney's flashing. 4. Wrap 2-foot wide bands of sheet metal around trees that are within jumping distance (10 feet) of the building (see notes above). 5. Trim overhanging tree branches 10 feet away from the house. 6. Screen gutter pipes, downspouts, and foundation drain pipes with 1/4" hardware cloth. "

I guess you're right. I also saw that people use it for racoons which is ok, but why deter squirrels? I like them and they are more help than anything.

12/17/2006 12:52:56 AM

I searched the cooperative extension website and found that the stuff is called "Aluminum flashing" and is used to repel sapsuckers and other borers once they begin boring....also used to protect the nuts of species like pecans from squirrels

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/ag81.html

Quote :

"Sapsuckers Sapsuckers are birds, similar to woodpeckers, that peck holes in a ring pattern and frequently in concentric circles on the trunk and large branches of trees. They peck holes into the tree so that insects will be attracted to the sap oozing from the holes. The sapsuckers then return at a later time to feed on these insects. Although unsightly, minor damage of this type is tolerable. Extensive sapsucker feeding can weaken the brittle pecan wood, resulting in greater wind and ice damage. There are no effective ways to control this pest. For smaller orchards the use of aluminum flashing loosely placed around the tree trunks where the sapsuckers are starting to drill can provide some protection. "

12/17/2006 12:55:06 AM

man i'll baonest whith you...i'm prety damn durnk

12/17/2006 1:30:22 AM

Thats a willow oak and if that flashing is for squirrels it is going to be ineffective. Its is not wide enought to keep them from jumping over it and also to close to the ground. As far as the sap sucker theory goes I think thats out too. Those birds can go up and down trees very easily and that flashing wouldnt prevent it. I have no idea what its intended purpose was but probably one of the two above. But who wants to keep a squirrel out of a damn willow oak?

12/17/2006 8:10:07 AM

Without seeing a nut or leaf, I don't know how you could know its a willow oak.

This is Quescus phellos bark (Willow oak)


And although the picture posted is not very clear, the barks look nothing alike.

[Edited on December 17, 2006 at 9:45 AM. Reason : ]

12/17/2006 9:44:04 AM

Quote :

"But who wants to keep a squirrel out of a damn willow oak?"

12/17/2006 9:47:13 AM

likely wanting to keep the squirles on the power lines and out of the trees...

12/17/2006 10:29:27 AM

Quote :

"Without seeing a nut or leaf, I don't know how you could know its a willow oak."

You don't need a nut or leaf to identify any tree.
All you need to do is spend your working time looking at millions of tons of trees.
I'd put money on that tree being a laurel oak, willow oak, or water oak.
Being an urban tree already boosts the chances of it being a willow or laurel oak.

12/17/2006 9:35:12 PM

its just tape with insulation behind it and some nasty goo in there too.

i thought they de barked a ring around the trees and then fed it nutrients or something through this ring so the roots don't grow and fuck up the asphalt/sidewalks etc.



[Edited on December 17, 2006 at 9:37 PM. Reason : .]

12/17/2006 9:36:15 PM

I'd go with insect borer protection then

12/17/2006 9:38:15 PM

Quote :

"i thought they de barked a ring around the trees and then fed it nutrients or something through this ring so the roots don't grow and fuck up the asphalt/sidewalks etc."

That would kill the tree.

12/17/2006 9:40:09 PM

yeh if you want to kill a tree...cut a deep enough ring throught the bark all the way around the tree on any level.

12/17/2006 9:59:26 PM

It's for squirrels. most squirrels hate trying to climb something like this. It's hard to jump a distance vertically for them especially when carrying stuff. We did this at my mom's house when the squirrels started making a game of "toss the nut at the human".

It took about 2 months but they moved on.

12/17/2006 10:06:47 PM

it's to keep inch worms from crawling up the tree, laying eggs, and eating/killing the foliage....they get stuck to the sticky stuff you put on the bands....they're all over the place where i live in charlotte

12/17/2006 10:07:35 PM

I'm pretty sure inch-worms don't lay eggs.

12/17/2006 11:01:51 PM

you cant feed a tree nutrients that way, if that is what that stuff is for then it would be to retain moisture for some kind of bridge grafting to repair damaged cambiu,

and if its all over a bunch of trees i doubt thats what its for

12/17/2006 11:41:44 PM

actually just read this thread

its a pretty good read

12/17/2006 11:50:02 PM

i know it would kill but i thought maybe if you filled it with like nutrients or something it would suck it up from there rather than the roots

12/17/2006 11:53:25 PM

nah it dont work like that, nutrients are carried up with water and water is conducted via cohesion

a break in the xylem means theres a gap between molecules and the system goes to shit, especially with tall trees like willow oaks

thats why when u cut a flower u have to do it underwater, so that it can continue to move water upwards


plus ud have to be able to super air tight that shit to even fathom such a concept, some foil wrapped around like that will dry out the wound quick

12/17/2006 11:59:54 PM

^ preciate it man

12/18/2006 6:39:17 AM

Quote :

"I'd put money on that tree being a laurel oak, willow oak, or water oak. Being an urban tree already boosts the chances of it being a willow or laurel oak. "

I completely agree with Fumbler here. And hell unless you have the two side by side its really hard to tell the difference between a laurel and willow oak. Ill agree that the barks looks a little funky for a willow oak but hell there is variation in all species.

[Edited on December 18, 2006 at 8:52 AM. Reason : )]

12/18/2006 8:51:44 AM

^I totally agree, my point was that I didn't see how anyone could tell enough by such a blurry picture. Yeah, there's definitely variation with trees, I've seen hickories that looked alot like oaks due to being transplanted in an area outside their typical habitat. (And that's 2 different genuses!)

[Edited on December 18, 2006 at 9:59 AM. Reason : ]

12/18/2006 9:59:30 AM