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bried621

Does this maple look unhealthy?

bried621
9 years ago

This maple suffered some damage during hurricane sandy. Do you think it needs to come down? (I know nothing about trees!)
Thanks.

Comments (6)

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    i wouldnt be surprised if a second huge tree was removed... this one may have been growing away from it...

    does it seem structurally intact???? if parts fell.. would they hit grass of structures???

    i cant see much with the weird sky lighting .... try some shots at differing hours.. to get a better one ...

    the bark looks like maple.. i might kill it for that reason along .. lol.. but i garden under trees... if you are not ... then maples ok.. but for the helicopters ...

    ken

  • User
    9 years ago

    bried,
    Usually when the branch bends like that, and doesn't straighten back up, the branch has been split.
    That is what I would worry about.
    Look at it very closely and see if you can see a split in the branch.
    If so, the branch must come off, or will anyway down the line.
    The pic is not good, and sideways.
    It leafed out alright, and the main trunk looks alright from the pic that is hard to see details.
    If in doubt, call an arborist.

  • calliope
    9 years ago

    If one double clicks on those sideways pictures, they present in the proper orientation. This has been happening a lot on the GW and must be something to do with their program.

    I sort of agree with what Ken said, especially if this is a relatively new housing development where they may have tried to save exitisting mature trees in that a larger tree may have been nearby and this tree is growing away from it toward light. I say that because I notice all the branching on the other major limbs tend to be heaviest and orient to one direction. I also agree with the last post that you should inspect the bent limb for cracks. If there is a major point of damage the chances it will fail are quite good. Better safe than sorry. But really, the angle is too smooth and gentle to really strike me this is the case.

  • hairmetal4ever
    9 years ago

    Looks like Silver Maple, a weak, split-prone tree even at its best, and that tree doesn't appear to be at it's best.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    there is a real dichotomy here ...

    unhealthy.. probably not ... you would need an onsite inspection for that ...

    improper structure.. probably... this has nothing to do with health ... [well it does.. but its a different issue.. if you get my drift]

    so i think your title is skewing us a bit ...

    if i had the checkbook ... i would be done with it... and replace it with some brilliant new selections ... it really doenst appear to be a threat to anything from the pic ...

    but the root issue.. is that you need to think in tree years.. i suggest that this will fail .. in tree terms.. sometime in the next 5 to 30 years ... so.. is it unhealthy ... doubt it ...

    the more precise decision... is do you plant replacements now.. and hope you can find a tree monkey with a chainsaw.. who can remove this later.. without destroying everything under it ...

    if you can afford it.. be done with it ...

    if it will fall on anything... is a threat.. be done with it ASAP ...

    life isnt a disney movie .. we kill trees that threaten us ... period

    ken

  • bried621
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yes this tree is about 25 feet from our house. We lost 2 large nearby trees in a hurricane, perhaps explaining the bend.

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