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Does this huge tree have to come down?
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Posted by
atikovi (
My Page) on
Mon, Jul 9, 12 at 18:04
| It's probably some 80 feet tall and 2 feet in diameter. Half way up, the recent storm broke that large 12-16 inch branch. Looks like there is rot there. If I just have that branch removed, what will happen to the tree? And it's growing in the back yard in the middle of a deck near the house with no direct access for workers. It's will probably cost an arm and a leg just to remove the branch.
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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| I would say leave the tree go for now. However that tree will eventually crush your deck as it grows thicker. The scar caused by the broken branch will eventually heal. Just seal it up if you can. Theres a special product for that I just forget the name. |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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| That tree's servicable time is coming to an end. Silver maple if I see right on my cell. It will keep growing wider and cause problems for your deck soon. Crane to remove and leave the stump up at deck height to put a patio umbrella on? Any second thoughts, just jmagine if you were sitting there and that branch made id down through the canopy. Uck. Sucks I know. I have had to remove two of those and three ash. Some I could do some I could not. That is one for the pros. Get some estimates for removal all at once if you can bear it. |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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- Posted by acer 6b western NC (My Page) on
Mon, Jul 9, 12 at 21:03
| I don't think that's a silver maple. Looks like some kind of red oak to me. Can you tell us, Atikovi? If it's a silver maple I'd take it down, but if it's an oak I'd try to save it. They have very long lifespans and it probably took a long time for it to get that big. Have a carpenter enlarge that hole in your deck, remove the broken branch, (it'll be cheaper than cutting the whole tree), and let it live. It should be fine. |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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| Whatever the case, that broken limb, over your deck, needs to be removed! Even old tree-hugger wisconsitom will tell you that. After that is done, it is entirely up to you what to do or not do with the remaining tree. If the tree retains sufficient vigor, it will make a run for closing up the wound. This will take time. And all during this time, decay may well expand, especially in the vertical plane, up and down the inside of the trunk. Even this does not necessarily mean the remaining tree will becomes especially unsound. The cylinder is a very strong shape! Oh and BTW, there is no snake oil or lotion to be applied to the damaged area that will in any way make the tree "heal" faster or better. Either it can or it can't close up the wound and that's not up to anything you do. I wouldn't invite the neighbors over for an iced tea on a windy day though! +oM |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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| Definitely an oak. Hard to tell what species. Need a closeup of a leaf to even guess. Depends on whether you value your house or your tree more. I might leave the tree for a while, but that's just me. Some on here will demand you bag the tree immediately. |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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| OMG .... get 2 estimates.. one for the hanger alone.. and one for the whole job ... if there little difference.. suck it up and be done with that hanging death trap in toto ... and try to sell the house.. to whomever says ignore it.. do NOT seal the wound ... ken ps: do not ever entertain your insurance agent under it ... |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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| It is a white oak.. I would have the branch removed.. probably around $100 to $ 200 to cut just the broken branch? The wound will heal up.. The only issue is that tree is going to outgrow that space it is growing through soon.. White oaks get large and are long lived. Jeff |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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| Yes. The huge deck has to come down. ;-) |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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- Posted by acer 6b western NC (My Page) on
Tue, Jul 10, 12 at 11:35
| Now that I've looked at those downed leaves on your deck, I agree with taxo-man that it's a white oak. The king of trees, and if you're going to have something close to a structure, it's the best possible choice. I can see that the part that split was where it formed a double trunk. This is always a weak point (all narrow crotch angles on any tree are weaker). Thank the storm for taking care of that for you without hurting the deck. I think that if you just get that hanging branch/double trunk out and the rest can heal, you've got a great shade tree for many decades or more. Look up white oak (Quercus alba). They're such magnificent trees (and it took a long time to reach that size) that personally I'd take out the deck before the tree. For the future, beware of those double trunks and narrow crotch angles (I know that sounds funny)! :) |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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- Posted by beng z6b western MD (My Page) on
Tue, Jul 10, 12 at 11:51
| Yeah, white oak. I've seen oaks in the "white" group recover surprisingly well from such injuries. There's not really anything useful to "seal" the injury, other than doing a decent cutting job around the injury. Occasionally, even a white oak will decline quickly from equivalent injuries, but usually they do well. PS Looking at the pics, seems like there's a decay area at the fork w/a stress point that allowed the split. It's difficult for all but the strongest winds (100+ mph) to break a strong, decay-free white oak limb -- they'll bend/twist permanently before actually breaking. |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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| What ever you do you will have to remove the limb. However you can off set the cost by selling tickets to the event as it is fascinating watching them take a big limb out of a tree like that. We had a large limb come down and stick in the adjoining tree. Both ends of the limb were about 20' from the ground. They came in and surgically removed the limb using a large cherry picker. We spent the afternoon watching as they would move the cherry picker in cut a few branches move it up to pull small limbs out of the adjoining tree, and finally drop the main limb to the ground. My wife will not let me buy a cherry pick even though it looks like a lot of fun. |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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Who in the world would grow a tree through the middle of a deck?! Anyway, the tree, regardless of whether it is a silver maple or white oak, will eventually begin to push at the deck, which could cause problems for the house too. I would "bite the bullet" and pay the $1000.00 to have it removed. DO NOT leave the stump. I know that creates a whole other problem which can only be satisfied with lots of money, but termites could infest the trunk, which would eventually infest the wood deck and then the house.
Holy cow! Your tree through the deck problem makes my Chinese Pistache tree with co-dominant stems problem look really insignificant. :-) I feel much better now. Thank you. |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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Likely - deck built around mature tree
Probable - tree (if cared for) worth more to home owner/home value than deck.
_ New deck should be smaller, away from tree. |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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| Well, that makes sense that someone built the deck around the tree. And you raise a good point, hogmanay. Maybe the tree should be left where its at and then build a new and smaller deck...or make the hole in the deck for the tree bigger. lol |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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| Plantingman, I think its neat to have the tree in the deck like that. That being said, of course doing that leads to problems. But it would be cool to have a deck with a tree in the middle like that, in my opinion. |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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| Since this is a tree forum, I think it appropriate to point out that tree wounds do not "heal". Think of it this way; If you cut your hand, eventually new cells will replace the damaged ones. That's healing. What woody plants do is "compartmentalize". They wall off the damaged or decayed area, to the extent that A) They are sufficiently vigorous enough to allocate resources to this process, and B) To the extent that they are a species that is able to do a good job of same. Oaks are very good compartmentalizers. It's not out of the question that this tree could eventually wall off the damage, laying down layers of new wood with each passing growing season. Have you ever seen a stick of lumber with a defect in it? That's an old wound of some kind. It never healed but it did get walled off and new wood grew around it. Oh..and of course the deck was built around a pre-existing tree! Some of you thought the tree was planted in the middle of the deck? Come awn.... +oM |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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| That hole looks pretty big to me, so I doubt it'll ever "heal over" before extensive heart decay sets in (if it hasn't already). On the other hand, it may stand for another decade like that. |
RE: Does this huge tree have to come down?
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| True that^. It is a large wound, to be sure. This all goes back to the difference between biological survival and survival within the landscape that meets the owner's requirements....things like not having chunks of oak tree falling on them. +oM |
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