'Tough to Be a Bug' and Tree of Life trails closed due to urgent Tree of Life work

[devoy1701]

Wow. A branch fell off of the Tree of Life. That's it. Probably due to the weather. It did get to freezing temps and snow too this past winter right? Maybe a freeze/thaw fracture then high winds? These things happen. Does this conversation need to be this intense? :shrug:

Freezing temps and snow?

We did have a 3 or 4 nights this season of freezing temps...but I don't think the Tree of Life has ever seen a snow flurry. As for freezing/thawing quickly as you mentioned in your next post. I'm not sure how that is relevant? No body is freezing the tree and quickly pooring hot water over it? When temperatures rise here after a freeze, it's a pretty gradual thing, and also things usually don't freeze through and through down here because it just doesn't stay cold long enough, it's usually just surface ice. At most we are below freezing for abou 10 hrs at a time.

 

[Master Yoda]

Thankfully it's just about a broken metal branch and not a branch landing on a guests head.

Probably doesn't come into it.

The trees stood for 14 years. So why drop now?

Asking that is like asking "Why did my cars radiator burst now?" or "Why did the roof start leaking now?" It is quite likely that the conditions that led to this branch falling occurred during construction or possibly even during design.

 

[devoy1701]

Asking that is like asking "Why did my cars radiator burst now?" or "Why did the roof start leaking now?" It is quite likely that the conditions that led to this branch falling occurred during construction or possibly even during design.

someone probably bent it the wrong way, then bent it back and hoped nobody noticed... :lookaroun

 

[Master Yoda]

someone probably bent it the wrong way, then bent it back and hoped nobody noticed... :lookaroun

It might be as simple as that. In my experience things like this are a combination of many different dominoes falling in sequence. Sometimes that first domino is incredibly small and seemingly inconsequential.

 

[G00fyDad]

Thankfully it's just about a broken metal branch and not a branch landing on a guests head.

Probably doesn't come into it.

The trees stood for 14 years. So why drop now?

No kidding. Could you imagine that? Yikes.

Freezing temps and snow?

We did have a 3 or 4 nights this season of freezing temps...but I don't think the Tree of Life has ever seen a snow flurry. As for freezing/thawing quickly as you mentioned in your next post. I'm not sure how that is relevant? No body is freezing the tree and quickly pooring hot water over it? When temperatures rise here after a freeze, it's a pretty gradual thing, and also things usually don't freeze through and through down here because it just doesn't stay cold long enough, it's usually just surface ice. At most we are below freezing for abou 10 hrs at a time.

We never got THAT cold here over the last winter... Not once did I have to 'wrap my pipes'... only had one 'protect your plants' type of days.... I would be surprised if recent weather had anything to do with it..

Then maybe I was remembering winter in 2010. :shrug: I just remember hearing about the freezing and record low temps in Florida. I could have sworn that was this last winter. But it looks like it was 2010.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/tbw/TopNews/PDF/OneOfTheColdestWinters.pdf

 

[devoy1701]

No kidding. Could you imagine that? Yikes.





Then maybe I was remembering winter in 2010. :shrug: I just remember hearing about the freezing and record low temps in Florida. I could have sworn that was this last winter. But it looks like it was 2010.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/tbw/TopNews/PDF/OneOfTheColdestWinters.pdf

Even then, the scenario I gave is the same. Things just don't completely freeze throughout in Central Florida (unless you're a fragile tropical plant....and no, I'm not making a bad joke about the Tree of Life :animwink. Even with record low temps, they don't stay below freezing for more than 10 hours or so. I'm just guessing here, but I really don't think that the weather conditions alone would cause a branch to break...unless as Yoda mentioned the branch was already compromised.

And to those who were saying that the wind this weekend might have been the cause...please. That was nothing. A light breeze compared to some of of the stuff Orlando has been hit with over the past 10 years.

 

[Master Yoda]

Freezing temps and snow?

We did have a 3 or 4 nights this season of freezing temps...but I don't think the Tree of Life has ever seen a snow flurry. As for freezing/thawing quickly as you mentioned in your next post. I'm not sure how that is relevant? No body is freezing the tree and quickly pooring hot water over it? When temperatures rise here after a freeze, it's a pretty gradual thing, and also things usually don't freeze through and through down here because it just doesn't stay cold long enough, it's usually just surface ice. At most we are below freezing for abou 10 hrs at a time.

One thing to remember is the conditions that set this up might have occurred years ago. If you remember correctly WDW was hit with a very hard freeze several years ago where nearly every plant across property was damaged of killed. Maybe this branch had the tiniest crack in it. Maybe this crack was located just in the right spot were dew could drip on it allowing water into the crack. Maybe that heavy freeze caused that crack to open just enough to allow too much movement. Add to that years of wind, rain, hot and cold and that crack can open into a fracture and a concrete branch hits the ground.

Granted there are a bunch of maybes in that scenario, but it is just one example of how effect does not necessarily immediately precede the cause.

 

[pax_65]

Just to be clear, I'm not saying this incident proves that maintenance is slipping in the parks. I agree this could be a fluke thing, a weather thing, whatever. I'm sure a structure that large is subjected to a tremendous variety of natural forces.

Still, it is my opinion based on observation that maintenance is slipping a little in the parks.

If it did turn out that a lack of maintenance contributed to this problem, I would not be shocked.

 

[Engenie]

Freezing temps and snow?

We did have a 3 or 4 nights this season of freezing temps...but I don't think the Tree of Life has ever seen a snow flurry. As for freezing/thawing quickly as you mentioned in your next post. I'm not sure how that is relevant? No body is freezing the tree and quickly pooring hot water over it? When temperatures rise here after a freeze, it's a pretty gradual thing, and also things usually don't freeze through and through down here because it just doesn't stay cold long enough, it's usually just surface ice. At most we are below freezing for abou 10 hrs at a time.

In engineering terms, a ten hour freeze cycle is actually very quick, just a few nights of freezing nights then none freezing days is much worse for crack propogation then several days frozen throughout. So 3 or 4 nights is entirely plausible to push a crack over the edge to causee this.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Freezing temps and snow?

We did have a 3 or 4 nights this season of freezing temps...but I don't think the Tree of Life has ever seen a snow flurry. As for freezing/thawing quickly as you mentioned in your next post. I'm not sure how that is relevant? No body is freezing the tree and quickly pooring hot water over it? When temperatures rise here after a freeze, it's a pretty gradual thing, and also things usually don't freeze through and through down here because it just doesn't stay cold long enough, it's usually just surface ice. At most we are below freezing for abou 10 hrs at a time.

Jan 2010. I was there in the freezing temps the week of the marathon and there was sleet and even a snow flurry or two.

 

[PhishinDisney]

Is it open today?

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Is it open today?

According to the Mobile Magic app It's Tough to be a Bug is temporarily unavailable.

 

[wdwmagic]

Is it open today?

No it remains closed.

 

[Alektronic]

It is not the first time this has happened, but it is the first time they closed the tree because of it. It is just steel and rebar and concrete. It is closed just to inspect all the other branches and infrastructure.

 

[Mawg]

I heard that this is all an evil plot by James Cameron so that Disney will rebuild the tree as the Avatar tree of souls. :drevil:

 

[JIMINYCR]

Is there any report of the size of the branch? Did it do any damage to any of the animal figures as it fell? And did it fall during open hours, seen or heard by a guest, or was it discovered after it happened by a CM?

 

[chargerag]

I know the theater is below the tree but is there any way to climb inside the top of the tree? I know on SSE there is a trap door and you can climb on top.

 

[G00fyDad]

I know the theater is below the tree but is there any way to climb inside the top of the tree? I know on SSE there is a trap door and you can climb on top.

To a certain degree I would imagine yes since it is hollow, but I don't think there are any ways out of the tree from there.

 

[HMF]

I believe he was saying that they generally didn't go down for "emergency" maintenance. Of course they went down for refurbs.

When you have BTM and TT down for refurbs and you still need to hit SM, EE, Dinosaur, Muppets, PoC, Soarin (New transfer) and a whole host of others if I really wanted to get picky then you know you've fallen behind.

This is exactly what I meant.

 

[disney fan 13]

Maybe they are cleaning up the interior of ITTBAB while they are working on the outside?