|
| Hi,
We have a contract on a new home and just found out that one of the beautiful old maple(?) trees in the front yard was the victim of a car accident. Is there any way to know if this tree will be okay? How can we help this tree? Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Sep 17, 12 at 15:35
| hey bum deal ... first.. a driver hit the tree.. a car can not be held responsible ... is this recent.. or historical???? second.. trees heal themselves.. its called encapsulation ... it might only live another 50 to 75 years ... if its just skin damage .... though there may be some canopy issues ... but we probably cant tell you much online ... especially if there is an issue of internal structural damage ... most likely you are going to need an onsite opinion by a certified arborist ... what do you mean you have a contract... ??? have you closed??? this may be a material reason to avoid continuing on the offer .. if closing is not done ... but that would be for a local atty to answer ... or at least your real estate agent ... do collate all the requisite police reports.. so you can make a claim against the driver .. [or his car if you wish.. but most cars are deadbeats .. uncollectable.. lol] ... get the drivers insurance info ... and file a property claim.. if you are in fact.. owner of the property ... your problem is the limbo of the pending house sale.. hence.. did you close [its your claim] ... or is the closing pending.. probably meaning its the owners claim ... what a nightmare ... ken |
|
- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Mon, Sep 17, 12 at 18:26
| a holston, Ken meant 'compartmentalization', and this is the ability of woody plants to wall off injury through chemical and physical means. It is an interesting subject, but not something that can be briefly covered. At least, not something I'm up to laying out right at the moment! Suffice to say though that the tree either will or will not be able to close this wound-both externally and internally-and that all you can do to aid this process is the usual stuff that helps trees. The biggest thing, practically the only thing, is to ensure the tree is not suffering from drought. And if you do elect to water it, realize that this means watering the entire area. Conversely, if you're fortunate enough to not be in a drought-stricken area, then even this is unwarranted. But keep it in mind for a year or two hence, if it gets dry then. Trees have been getting dinged up-though not by cars-for millennia, and they've developed means to deal with it. No fancy snake oil is going to help. It could be warranted to fertilize the entire root zone, but that's controversial as heck. If you do decide, hopefully after doing some research, go easy with the stuff. A little might do some good but a lot won't do more good. +oM |
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Sep 18, 12 at 7:49
| fertilizing a tree is as simple as fertilizing the lawn with a general fertilizer ... though since it is stressed i might stay away from ferts with plant killer in it ... e.g. crabgrass killer.. etc ... whatever you call it.. the tree if otherwise healthy .. will take care of itself.. no painting.. no nothing.. maybe in a year or two.. some shaving of the hangnails [for lack of a better term]... but i still would wonder about interior.. UNSEEN structural damage.. it sure looks like that tree would win over a collapsible car .. but i would hate to think that there is a big fracture hidden in there.. the real issue is.. will it fall on anything important.. should it fail catastrophically ... if its out in the middle of the yard.. so what.. but if it will kill you in your sleep one night.. i would suggest a professional should look at it .. see link about structural weakness .... though that trees problem was not a car accident .... ken |
Here is a link that might be useful: link
|
- Posted by BobtheArborist none (My Page) on Thu, Sep 20, 12 at 22:43
| Some tree species compartmentalize (form a "scab" to wall off decay) better than others. No matter what, the tree has lost its vascular ability to transfer water and nutrients up this side of the tree, so don't be surprised if branches higher up on this side show more die-off than the rest of the tree. Hard to tell without seeing some leaves whether this is really a maple. If so, maples do generally need lots of water. Chemical fertilizers used on lawns are not the best for trees. A good organic fertilizer is best - liquid compost with some potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese from natural sources like sea kelp, worm droppings, humus with microbial additives, mycorrhizal fungi to improve root absorption and then trace minerals mixed in would do it the best - especially if injected into the roots with a soil wand. |
|
| From the picture and what appears to be the position of the tree and the angle at which the car hit the tree, I believe the tree is in an excellent position to protect the house from attacks by cars. I would hope for thee best and leave the tree until another one grew big enough to take over the defense of the house. |
|
| At my previous house I had a pretty decent sized sweet gum maple in the ft yard between the sidewalk and street. New Year's Eve 07 someone smoked it traveling pretty briskly. I didn't see the car or it smashed on my tree but the next day there were nasty oil/coolant slicks near the tree and the obvious damage the tree took which looked a lot like yours. I never even thought once that the tree would have a problem surviving (though if you know sweet gums, like me you would have hoped for the tree to be mortally injured!). Trees still there bug as ever, making gum balls and there is only a slight scar from the initial massive bark removal That happened that New Year's Eve 5 years ago. It'll be fine. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Trees Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.