[Leah Frances]

Saturday morning around 5am DH and I awoke to an amazing crash. DH, said, OMG something fell off the house! Turns out it was a massive branch out of our 90+ foot sycamore tree. It was the lowest branch and was rotten. Thankfully, it did not fall on our house, nor did it break anything or hurt anyone.

Normally, I'd just bust out my Stihl and TCB, but the heaviest part of the branch leaned up against the tree around 30 feet up and the branches became a kick stand. Discretion is the better part of valor, and DIY; so I called my tree guy. Here's a pic of him in the tree so you can see the scale of the branch.

When he got it on the ground he discovered this 20 inch long piece of pipe that was driven into the side of the branch. It appears to be filled with concrete.

My tree guy was flummoxed. The pipe, when it was in the tree, would have been over 50 feet off the ground - this puts it above my roofline - a little tall for a bird feeder or clothes line. He said it was not in the right place to be part of a lightening arrester. The power lines for my house are subterranean and before they went underground entered on the other side of the house. It's been there a long time, based on the shoulder the tree grew around it.

I always think I that at some point I will get jaded and stop being surprised by the weird things I find around the house....

 

[PaliBob]

Leah, Verrrry Interesting
Maybe it was part of homebrew HAM Radio Antenna

Thanks for posting the pics
.

 

[gma2rjc]

Maybe a tornado went through your area years ago. The high wind picked the pipe up from a nearby yard and drove it into the tree?

The tree doesn't look as huge as it is until you see the pic of the tree guy. Did he check to see if any of the other branches were bad or give you any suggestions as to why that branch was rotten?

Were any of your hens running around screaming, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!"?

 

[Tha Carpenter]

guys it's obvious it's a bird! Everyones had the birds pipe nest issue haven't they? The pipe just took to much room for the bird nest, so the mama bird kicked it off!

 

[Jay123]

any arborists out there? maybe it was a "fix" for a weak limb

 

[Leah Frances]

We're in a 50 year hurricane zone... Maybe I'll find an egg inside the barn door. gma2rjc, that was hilarious! The chickens did not report any disturbance. The dogs thought the world's greatest stick fell in the yard.

My tree guy did check all the other large branches of the tree. None of them show any sign of rot. :thumbup:

I love my tree guy. He's cheap, he keeps his liability and worker's comp up to date, and he was willing to come on a Sunday.

 

[Scuba_Dave]

Is his name Jack?
How long ago did you throw the beans out the window?
I have 4 seedlings growing about 2' tall

 

[Chemist1961]

Betting on this, havent seen any 50' ladders lately so it's been there a long,long time and rising. Concrete inside to keep it rigid,or just to keep the bugs and rain out, maybe a clothes line hookup, was it angled up?

 

[Leah Frances]

Sideways and slightly down.

 

[Maintenance 6]

Probably was a woodpecker nest AFTER it was brought up to current code.

 

[Scuba_Dave]

Sideways and slightly down.

Well then it was used to hold a swing up

 

[Mike in Arkansas]

Betting on this, havent seen any 50' ladders lately so it's been there a long,long time and rising. Concrete inside to keep it rigid,or just to keep the bugs and rain out, maybe a clothes line hookup, was it angled up?

Is that possible? I've always heard that limbs don't rise from the height they originate at because the tree grows from the tip. I vote for a Ham or CB radio antenna remnant.

 

[PaliBob]

I vote for a Ham or CB radio antenna remnant.

That's A great Idea. If the forensics don't give us a definitive answer then we could award a prize for the most votes. I vote with Mike:wink:

 

[Leah Frances]

I like Maintenance 6 idea. But I think I'm sticking with hurricane.

 

[gma2rjc]

How wide is the pipe?

Maybe when the tree was much smaller, there were two branches that were growing too close together. The home owner seperated the two branches with the pipe.

Jack in the beanstalk............:laughing: That's exactly what it looks like.

 

[Leah Frances]

20-24 inches long - 1/2 inch diameter.

 

[gma2rjc]

Maybe it's a super-sized arrow. :huh:

 

[Leah Frances]

OH HO HO. I just figured it out. How could it have taken me so long to figure it out?

~ Alien Interaction ~

It's the only rational explanation. Alien's were conducting some sort of experiment.