Fallen Branch Aftermath - Safety Nets Installed

[BJCool]

So, after the whole falling branch fiasco, the Mouse has put up some view-obstructing nets that span the entire length of the paths under the Tree of Life. Disappointingly, they appear to be of good quality (i.e. permanent).

A better explanation and photos from Ultimate Orlando Blog:

A little bit more than a week ago, a branch fell off a tree at DAK. Not just any tree; the Tree of Life. The problem isn’t that this tree is the icon of the park. The problem is that this tree is artificial, and it’s not supposed to be falling apart. Certainly not for decades still. It was built to withstand hurricanes, and while it was windy a week ago, it was nothing out of the ordinary at all. And yet a five-pound branch came down and landed smack in the queue for It’s Tough to be a Bug. Fortunately, no one was hurt (I’m not even sure if the park was open at the time).

The park management team closed down the ride for several days while they scoured the tree and tried to figure out what happened. They made no public announcements about the incident or about the closure.

The attraction reopened last week with nets in place over the queue. In fact, visitors now navigate essentially a tunnel of nets as they get close to the tree. Since Disney has made no public announcement, it’s hard to know exactly what this means. Are the nets temporary or permanent? They certainly don’t look assembled TOO quickly, so perhaps they are meant to be permanent.

The nets obviously send a message of caution, but perhaps it’s more than that. Their presence implies they don’t yet know what went wrong with the tree and can’t guarantee it won’t happen again—possibly with a fifty pound branch next time. That kind of weight can kill a person.

A couple more photos from MiceChat:

 

[Teebin]

^ That is the oddest and yet quickest solution to a problem I have ever seen at a park since I have lived here. It suggests they have discovered that the problem with the tree may be ongoing due to age. Easier than rigging the entire tree with 1997 scaffolding to fix the problem.

 

[Thor]

Teebin, don't forget, cheaper too. God forbid they spend the money to, you know, actually fix the problem. Of course, that assumes they know what the problem actually is.

 

[Cwoolboy]

I had heard about the branch issue before, but I hadn't realized the branch came from the Tree of Life. WTH Disney??? :bang::doh:

 

[JungleSkip]

They're ugly. But I really wish we knew what happened with the tree. That branch shouldn't have fallen off...

 

[Dr. Emmett Brown]

The tree was built to withstand 100mph winds from a hurricane. It's pretty frustrating that nothing more than a "we're sorry k here's some 'safety' nets so you think you're safe" was done.

 

[Cwoolboy]

I sure hope the safety nets were built up to par, otherwise Disney could be facing one hell of a marketing fiasco. I mean, if Disney can't get a large artificial tree right, then I don't think we should really trust their saftey net making skills either. (As I'm sure you can tell, I'm pretty peeved about this)

 

[Scarletwebslingr]

Teebin, don't forget, cheaper too. God forbid they spend the money to, you know, actually fix the problem. Of course, that assumes they know what the problem actually is.

Let's hope the nets are the short solution to hold over while they fix the real problem(s) with the tree. What's odd is that I have only heard of the fallen branch from forums and a small handful of CMs from DAK. Most people I come across are none the wiser.

 

[Andy]

I said this was serious...

 

[Dr. Emmett Brown]

I said this was serious...

The tree's just aging. Nothing an actual (not half-arsed like the one we saw last year) refurb can't fix. Whether Disney actually spends the money to do it is the question.

 

[Thor]

Let's hope the nets are the short solution to hold over while they fix the real problem(s) with the tree. What's odd is that I have only heard of the fallen branch from forums and a small handful of CMs from DAK. Most people I come across are none the wiser.

I hope the same thing because those nets are ugly. Let's hope thaat they are planning a fix and are in the process of scheduling a Tree of Life refurb to fix the problem. A branch falling off the tree can kill someone. If that such danger doesn't force WDW to do much needed refurbishments, then what will?

 

[Scarletwebslingr]

I hope the same thing because those nets are ugly. Let's hope thaat they are planning a fix and are in the process of scheduling a Tree of Life refurb to fix the problem. A branch falling off the tree can kill someone. If that such danger doesn't force WDW to do much needed refurbishments, then what will?

...an actual dead person. But seriously, I doubt Disney is going to just leave these nets up til the end of time. It seems more a temp. fix than anything. DAK doesn't want guests looking up at their center piece through mesh anymore than guests do. I'm confident a refurb will be done sooner than later.

 

[Thor]

...an actual dead person. But seriously, I doubt Disney is going to just leave these nets up til the end of time. It seems more a temp. fix than anything. DAK doesn't want guests looking up at their center piece through mesh anymore than guests do. I'm confident a refurb will be done sooner than later.

Well, yea a dead guest. But why let it come to that? The warning shot was fired. Why wait until the shot hits someone? Get to the issue now, not wait. What makes me agree with you, that these are temporary, is they are not well themed. I think a more permanent structure would have been more themed to look as if they belonged in the area.

 

[jtsalien]

Maybe this is why God didn't make trees using old oil rigs :shrug:

But given that Disney probably employs more lawyers than engineers at this point, I don't see them letting this problem go unsolved. It just may take awhile.

 

[AcidPop]

Oh man, can you IMAGINE if a heavier branch fell and killed some little kid?

 

[Scarletwebslingr]

Oh man, can you IMAGINE if a heavier branch fell and killed some little kid?

Even more reason why WDW needs the Marvel heroes in their parks.

 

[Teebin]

Teebin, don't forget, cheaper too. God forbid they spend the money to, you know, actually fix the problem. Of course, that assumes they know what the problem actually is.

By '1997 scaffolding', cost was what I was implying. :wave:

Best case scenario: They are attempting to come up with a solution to 'resin' end branches. Meanwhile, they cannot afford to close the signature attraction. The current net supports appear to be L-bracket steel bolted to the concrete both old and new, so it is long-term if not permanent. There has to be a discovered 'issue' with these branches that wasn't previously thought to be an issue.

For those of you honking about Disney being poor on quality, I assure you this thing was built to the best specs of the time. Think O-Rings in the Challenger Space Shuttle. Both are custom designs and even the best engineers can be mistaken.

 

[Dr. Emmett Brown]

Maybe this is why God didn't make trees using old oil rigs :shrug:

But given that Disney probably employs more lawyers than engineers at this point, I don't see them letting this problem go unsolved. It just may take awhile.

The nets are most likely a temporary attempt at satisfying legal requirements after an accident and to allow them to operate an attraction with the oncoming peak season while they figure out a way to fix the tree itself.

 

[jtsalien]

For those of you honking about Disney being poor on quality, I assure you this thing was built to the best specs of the time. Think O-Rings in the Challenger Space Shuttle. Both are custom designs and even the best engineers can be mistaken.

Oh no I don't fault them at all for the design. The thing is amazing and the fact that it's withstood such high winds and storms in its time shows they got it down pretty well. But when you're designing a tree that massive, things are bound to fail eventually.

 

[Teebin]

But when you're designing a tree that massive, things are bound to fail eventually.

Exactly... some stuff will fail. Some obviously and some we may never know about.