Appreciation: Downed big old black walnut street tree

This isn't exactly about gardening, but it is in the Pac NW. This huge old Juglans nigra street tree a few blocks from me fell over into the street yesterday, a not particularly rainy or windy day. But the day before was particularly wet. A guy in the peanut gallery claimed that this was the Parks Board's fault for pruning the branches off on the building side, leaving it heavier on the street side so it was unbalanced and prone to tipping.


A year ago, two trees away, this tree that I think was also a walnut had its trunk split and fall into the street. People were remarking how hollow the tree was, though I remember Parks Board's Bill Stephen telling us on a VCBF walk that hollow trees can remain strong and healthy.

 

My sister likes to remind me that a tree in her yard that I told her would not, could not survive is now thirty years older and healed itself. Acer rubrum, split trunk from a backhoe bending the young tree in half. Now I know that the cambium and newer growth is a far better predictor of survivability. The wide split made a gap completely through the tree, but is no longer visible. I don't know what a cross section would look like now.

I wonder about the roots of the walnut genus. When our shallow rooted live oaks go over, a two hundred year old tree could pull up a lot more of the pavement and lawn, The root system of this one giving way makes me think that there was subterranean damage. The older stump looks as though the roots were never displaced.

I'm another in the peanut gallery that would decry the grossly uneven pruning. Some trees can take it and some will torque in the wind to their detriment.

 

Can anyone point me to big black walnut trees in the city?? I want to collect some fallen leaves to dry out and put in my bee smoker fuel.

 

Nelson at Jervis, on western corner (by convention, SW corner). It's the one with the Nelson Street gnome (photo from May, 2015 attached).
Seven trees wrap the western side (SW corner) of Pendrell and Broughton.
There are others on Burnaby St between Cardero and Nicola, where the tree here came down, but I think there is another type of walnut in the mix.

Those are from my West End neighbourhood. If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can find other locations on the map that's part of the enhanced version of the Vancouver Trees App | UBC Botanical Garden.

 

Thankyou! Any in the south side of the city or in Richmond?? I am coming in from Tsawwassen.

 

One in Queen Elizabeth Park on Midlothian across from the community centre. And one on a heritage tree list on Marine Crescent at 51st. I can't remember if that's on private property above the street, not sure how much would be falling onto the street.