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| We have a small Log Cabin that in underneath giant Live Oak trees here in Florida. The trees actually cover the log cabin from the two sides and the back.
I know they need to be trimmed but it take a large bucket truck, some tree guys and a lot of cash.
How dangerous is this?
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Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by toronado3800 Z6 St. Louis (My Page) on Thu, Jan 26, 12 at 23:18
| Now that is an attractive place and the trees are part of the mystique! The prudent thing to do is to have one of them ISA certified arborists out to climb the trees and inspect for defects. Far as how dangerous? I dunno. Perhaps you can use the land around the cabin to help decide. Is it made up all of trees of similar age? Any older trees around or was it farm land fifty years ago? If it is an older forest my idea is you can look at the forest floor and decide how many roof killing branches are down in any spot the size of your cabin. Also, how many nights a year do you sleep in the cabin? It isn't your hurricane hide out I assume. |
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- Posted by Fivepointstar none (My Page) on Thu, Jan 26, 12 at 23:38
| Yes, this is back in the Goethe State Forest and these live oaks are huge. The two trees on the ends of the house are Giant. My pictures are not that great. The roof is so steep that I can even walk around on it. The place is way over due for its pressure washing and sealing. We are just worried that one of the giant branches could break loose and clobber the poor little cabin below. We don't want to cut them down as the keep the place completely in the shade during the hot summer Florida months. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Fri, Jan 27, 12 at 9:12
| insure it is fully insured for tree damage .. and relax .. peace of mind would include the recommended ISA opinion ... its all moot is you dont have the budget anyway .... but the opinion should not be all that expensive .. relatively speaking .. ken |
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| The live oaks in Texas are probably the safest tree you can get for limbs over a house. Have seen a live oak die from wilt and the owner left the 30' limbs over the house for 2 yrs before having them cut down. Any other oak, I'd recommend pruning back, but not with live oak unless you can see a defect in the limb. Bald Cypress is the only other tree that I would have that much trust in. Bur Oak may also deseve that kind of trust, but I have limited experience with it. |
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| >Any other oak, I'd recommend pruning back< Why? What is the basis for this statement? |
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| I agree with the others. Make sure you're insured, and get them checked for defects by a good arborist if you can (I see no obvious problems in the photos, but it's hard to say). Prune only to address structural problems and remove dead branches. Otherwise, enjoy the beautiful canopy and the shade it provides. Avoid major disturbance to the ground underneath the trees (at 22 years, you're probably out of the period where you'll see problems due to construction damage). If they were laurel oaks, I'd be more worried. Very nice site, I like Goethe (nasty wildfire out there last year, though). |
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- Posted by Fivepointstar none (My Page) on Fri, Jan 27, 12 at 19:40
| Thanks everyone for the replies. We have full insurance on the place so that is not the problem. Just worry about the huge tree on the west side as it has a cavity where the large upper branches split but it has been like that forever. Squirrels and racoons go in and out of there pretty often. Here is a picture that I tried to lighten up as it is hard to see this dark void.
The Goethe fire last year spared this cabin by about 200-300 yards and we got very lucky. This is why it is so mildewed looking as the place was soaked down by Forestry and fire guys and we have yet to clean it. I'll be working on it soon. :) |
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| That last picture definitely changes the tone of this thread for me. Before seeing that, I was wondering why you would be worried at all. Now, I'd definitely go with the ISA certified arborist inspection recommendations, AND I'd get more than one unless I had a good idea of what they were talking about and their analysis and recommendations made perfect sense. With a large split like that, nature may be telling you something. Then again, the tree may remain intact for life. |
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- Posted by Fivepointstar none (My Page) on Fri, Jan 27, 12 at 20:15
| It's not a split, it's more like a hole in the trunk. The thing has probably been like this for a hundred years and I'm just now worrying about it. I'm going to see if I can get a better picture of it tomorrow. |
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| Holes like that are often due to splits, and I see evidence of what looks like a split below your circle. Another picture might help, but it won't beat an up-close, real-life inspection by a professional. |
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| You want to know how much of that trunk is hollow. Especially in Florida with your tropical storm proclivity. Gorgeous place by the way. Making many jealous reading this I'm sure ( I am one of them ;) ) |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sat, Jan 28, 12 at 10:08
| We have full insurance on the place so that is not the problem. ===>>> does it cover an act of God.. which a weather storm might be ... or is this simply a conclusion ... speak with your agent ... and make sure ... well.. that is not MI.. lol .. oak and palm a few feet apart .. lol you are correct it has been there for decades .. and we are correct.. you need an onsite inspection or three ... ken |
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| Any of those largish pruning cuts could be a starting point for internal decay. Just for the record that is not a huge tree, trees grow much bigger. Including live oaks. Unless prevented from doing so by limiting site conditions or other accident of circumstance any one of your could get much bigger in time. |
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| "Any other oak, I'd recommend pruning back<" "Why? What is the basis for this statement?" Live Oak is one of the few trees that is considered hurricane resistant. They grow all along the Gulf coast. It has perhaps the densest and hardest wood of the American oaks. The US Navy at one time kept records of the Live Oak forests as sources of wood for their ships. While I've seen lots of other oaks, up-rooted, can't remember seeing a Live Oak uprooted. |
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| If I may take the liberty to temporarily speak for bboy, since he's not here at the moment, I don't think he was wondering why you wouldn't recommend pruning a live oak. I think he was wondering why you WOULD recommend pruning back some other type of oak. Upon what do you base the idea that such treatment would be beneficial, not to mention not detrimental. |
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- Posted by Fivepointstar none (My Page) on Sun, Jan 29, 12 at 13:27
| Here are a couple other pictures of the Live Oak with the mysterious hole. Front: Close up of hole: Back of tree with hole: There is decay in the hole but it looks very old and the back of the tree looks like it has healed and patched it's self over the years. I will see if I can find an arborist that could take a look at it for me. Might be hard to find one out here in the middle of nowhere. |
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| What happens with a hole like that, is that the rot keeps growing. The rate at which the rot grows, depends on a lot of things including how well the tree is able to seal off areas (which also includes many factors). The fact that the rot you see is old is really not a positive sign. The tree could keep growing and not have problems for many years, or, it could be ready to collapse tomorrow. Hopefully you'll find a really good arborist who can give you a really good answer. Below is a link that may help you find someone. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Find an Arborist
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| Sorry for what will possibly be your loss, but on the bright side you have several others in your yard. The other pictures look like the branches are not heavy enough to cause damage on a sound roof if they did break. |
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| Really? They looked to me like they could decimate the entire house. |
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- Posted by Fivepointstar none (My Page) on Sun, Jan 29, 12 at 20:48
| Thanks, brandon7 I'll see if I can get an Arborist to come out and look at it. If that side gave way it would take out half the roof of the cabin. That side of the tree is much larger then it looks in the pictures. I wonder if I could run a tow strap or cable up in the tree from one side to the other? This way if it ever gave way it might not hit the cabin. I hate to even think about having this wonderful tree cut down. |
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- Posted by Fivepointstar none (My Page) on Sun, Jan 29, 12 at 20:57
| Here is another picture showing the side of this tree that hangs over the cabin:
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| Simply stunning! |
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| brandon7 Have observed numerous other types of oaks uproot, particularly in wetter parts of the south and where subject to hurricanes. Florida qualifies as both I would guess. Generally speaking I would prefer to trim limbs early so that they do not go over a structure. As the trees in question are Live Oaks, I would tend to leave them or at least as others recommended, get opinion of an Arborist. Live Oaks and Bald Cypress are among the top of the charts for hurricane resistant trees. |
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| When I was in college a man across the hall had lived in an historic mansion with "200 year old" live oaks and a southern magnolia or two planted near it. During a ferocious hurricane the two oaks went over and the magnolia(s) lost all leaves but remained standing. I think the fact that the leaves were blown off the magnolia(s) shows just how incredibly windy it was. That and the notion that the oaks had held up for 200 years prior to this. Of course, a recent development such as a root pathogen might have diminished their anchorage. |
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| Before the last photo I saw nothing wronge with the overhanging parts. I would make sure of soundness or trim anything huge overhanging. Most importantly, I would be far from the path of a hurricane, tree or no tree! Do people regularly stay home when they occur? Maybe it's like we regard a thunderstorm here up north. |
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| Live oaks can and do get uprooted. I've lived my whole life in S E La and Katrina's eye came over my home town. My 30 year old Live oak was uprooted, with 30ft roots pointing skyward. Also had 60ft pine, small water oak and a black gum uprooted as an island of dirt and root. Other storms have also repeatedly uprooted Live oaks and pines along the Miss Gulf Coast. I do agree on the bald cypress, I have never seen one uprooted, broken up, but never uprooted. |
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Fri, Feb 3, 12 at 23:33
| Ken, I'm surprised to hear there are no palm trees in MI. We've got them here in Wisconsin, at least according to the Fox News (Faux News) report some months back showing the naughty protesters in Madison, being all violent and stuff. In the background of the video were palm trees! That proves........something! +oM |
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