|
| Hello all,
I have what I suspect to be a large Southern Red Oak tree growing beside my house. I recently noticed what appears to be a fungus growing from a 3-4 foot long diseased portion of the trunk about 10 feet or so up from the ground. The fungus periodically dies and turns black and then drops to the ground. It's quite large (usually about 8"-15" wide). I had a guy come out to fell a couple of dead pines and he mentioned that it was diseased and also needed to be cut. I really like the old oaks and would prefer to help this old guy out instead of killing it. Is there anything I can do for it or is it only a matter of time before it dies? It isn't otherwise causing any problems and I love the shade it provides. It also keeps my compost pile very happy every fall. Any help would be greatly appreciated. The picture is of the diseased portion of the tree with fungus attached |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| Well, it has a nice thick section of living wood encapsulating the rot which means it is probably still pretty strong. If it wasn't close to your house, I would let nature take it's course. This really large tree that could cause major damage if it comes down. A lot of that wood is dead and rotten. I would bite the bullet and take it down. It isn't worth having your house crushed. |
|
| Agree with Ruffles entirely. If it wasn't next to your house, I'd see how long it might last; however, its location and condition demand action. |
|
| Yeah, I was afraid of that. It's going to be in excess of a grand to get this tree cut down and hauled off. Time to start saving... I appreciate the advice. |
|
- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Mon, Oct 22, 12 at 22:32
| Yes Jason, the "beside my house" is the salient point here. That tree, which BTW is not exactly "diseased", could remain vertical for longer than any of us on this board. But it might not. And there's a target below if it should fail. Now about what I said; A portion of the tree is decayed. That's not exactly the same thing as "diseased". I know this just looks like nit-picking but it's not. A tree, that tree, can be totally healthy yet still have a large column of decay in it. Happens all the time in fact. That decay is not doing anything whatsoever to the parts of the tree that aren't right adjacent to that which is decayed already. I better quit. None of this makes any difference to the matter at hand-an unsafe tree next to your house. +oM |
|
| Well fortunately the thunderstorm season has largely passed for this area and we aren't prone to getting snowstorms here so it probably won't be undergoing any abnormal stresses for a while. Still, it's on the top of the list as of tonight to get this taken care of. I'd like to say I can whip out $1300 on a whim but LOL... not quite at this point in my life. :-/ |
|
- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Mon, Oct 22, 12 at 22:55
| Yeah, tough deal. If it helps at all, you can go for the cheapest guy with a saw....and business insurance. Since the end result is that the tree is gone, you don't need someone that actually understands tree biology, etc. who can, of course, be more expensive. +oM |
|
- Posted by toronado3800 Z6 St. Louis (My Page) on Mon, Oct 22, 12 at 23:03
| I have saved money before having the large trunk pieces left behind. Then it became my job to do sonething with them. This ol boy down the road heats his home with wood still. 100% he says. So he was pretty excited to take a good amount for free. |
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Oct 23, 12 at 7:36
| i agree.. there is a lot of good vertical firewood there .. hard to tell what the rest looks like ... but i wonder if there is any lumber value on such ??? when i see scars like that.. i think lightening ... and as noted.. with the 'healing' already done.. it could have been a decade ago ... if it threatens you in your sleep .. or in the lazyboy.. its gotta go.. i am glad you are being realistic in that regard ... ken |
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.