Should This Tree Be Removed?

16 years ago

Click on thumbnails to see full-sized photo.

Looks like healthy leaves to me.

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The north side looks good:

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West side looks good. Notice all the wires; this is one of the reasons a badly damaged tree cannot be allowed to stay. That, and it's right next to the house too.

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I got dizzy taking this one:

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Here's the south side about 8 feet off the ground. Notice the dug out area with a vine starting to grow out of it. It looks burned to me, perhaps lightening, but I'm no expert:

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From that point to the ground, there's a burn line that runs to the ground. Close up:

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"Burn" line from a little farther away. I watched carpenter ants crawling up this line.:

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Damage above the "burn" line and the dug out area with the vine growing. This center branch/trunk looks dead from here up, until you get to the very top and it looks like there are leaves. Sorry for the blurry pictures, but I think it gives you the right idea:

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Type of wood that is falling off, sometimes not just pieces but larger branches. Dried out and full of holes.

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Thank you!!!

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Comments (4)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years ago
IMHO ... its coming down.. one way or another.. sooner or later ...

you can either control the situation by having it taken down ... or risk ma natures removal ...

MAYBE ... you can talk the power Co. into taking it down for free ... since it appears to be a danger to their lines ....

maple is great firewood ....

good luck

ken

PS: if hiring a tree removal co., get at least three estimates.. and be sure that they are properly insured ...
lionheart_gw (USDA Zone 5A, Eastern NY)
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you, Ken.

I'm getting multiple estimates. And, yes, insurance is a must.

Yeah, maple must be good. The power company took down a lot of branches in April or May; when they removed the limbs threatening the lines it revealed the damage on the interior.

The power company left the logs piled up next to the tree. I lugged the kit and kaboodle to the roadside, hoping the crew that picks up brush and yard debris for the annual yard cleanup would take it. It didn't last that long. About 2 hours after I pushed, pulled, and dragged all the wood to the roadside, some young man in a pickup truck stopped to ask if he could take it. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement -- we got rid of "logs" with no problem and he got some nice fire wood.

Wished he had asked sooner; the thicker pieces were really heavy. There were some rotted branches in there too. It's a shame. I really love that tree.
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snidelywhiplash z5b
16 years ago
I'm not sure if this is feasible for you, but worth considering....

If I had a tree that meant that much to me, and it had to come down, I would think hard about contacting a sawyer and having it sawn into lumber, from which you could find a woodworker or cabinetmaker to make something beautiful. A memorial of sorts to the tree, and a way to not just turn the poor thing into firewood.

There are a lot of guys out there with portable sawmills that can saw logs on-site for a nominal fee. A company called Woodmizer sells a lot of those sort of mills, and I believe they'll refer you to someone in your area who owns one. Barring that, you might call a local woodworking store or two and ask them.

Check it out...might be worth the trouble.

Jason

Here is a link that might be useful: WoodMizer
lionheart_gw (USDA Zone 5A, Eastern NY)
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you, Jason. What a great idea! I will look into it.