Trees and their behaviour are extraordinary.

This elm is likely to have been dead or dying for forty years or more and yet, despite some very severe storms over the period, it still stands.
It most probably succumbed to Dutch Elm disease, a new and virulent strain of which arrived in Europe in the late 1960's and ravaged the elm stocks in Ireland in the 1970's and 80's.

Beech trees, on the other hand, will frequently fall despite appearing perfectly healthy.

There was a huge beech tree above and behind our house until fifteen or so years ago.
We loved it as a tree as it was magnificent: two people with arms stretched could not touch fingers so great was the girth of its bole.
And we cursed it because it blocked light and sun from our home.

One calm night there was a loud crash that woke the household.
The following morning we discovered that a large branch had fallen from the tree, just feet from the back of the house.
I advised the owner of the tree and pointed out that, if it were to fall in our direction, it would crush our house and all within it.
He called in Terence Kelly from the local saw mill for advice and it was decided that the tree should be felled.

When it was knocked (to use the local vernacular for felling trees) it transpired that there was only a very slim area of healthy wood around the perimeter of the trunk - the huge centre was so rotten that you could push a finger into it.
The previous summer it had put-on full leaf with an healthy crown.

On the other hand, were the dead elm to be felled it is possible, even probable, that there would still be some viable timber within it.

And this beech tree, which overhangs the mill, is causing me concern for all the reasons discussed above - especially since the owner of the property on which it stands is, I understand, in NAMA.