Woke up to my 25+ year old Oak tree having split. The remaining two large branches have a small split between them too. Can I remove the torn limb and cable the remaining trunk? Seems unlikely.
by Ekezummma
Woke up to my 25+ year old Oak tree having split. The remaining two large branches have a small split between them too. Can I remove the torn limb and cable the remaining trunk? Seems unlikely.
by Ekezummma
27 Comments
I could save that if you were extremely rich. Cranes (plural) bolts cables several climbers in the tree. It would be a spectacle.
You can absolutely save it.
(for firewood)
Nope.
No, sorry. That tree is history.
I thought this looked alright until I saw the third pic. If it was just that single stem that failed I’d be taking a chance with it but seeing the other two stems are splitting away as well means I reckon it’s cooked
Sadly no that one is too far gone
The rest of that could go at any moment i wouldn’t attempt to cable. This is a hazard tree that needs to be gone asap
Remove and plant 2 more in its remembrance
Plant a citrus tree there later, if you’re in a citrus friendly zone that is 🍊🍋🍋🟩
You could spend thousands to have someone cable it but it’s mostly likely going to die anyways sorry 😢.
You can save some wood and make a table or chair to remember it.
LURKERS: this is why we don’t like crowded, multiple limb attachments in a small area (image 2). Because large scaffold limb failure like this becomes more likely.
He’s dead Jim.
Does anyone have an ID for this? I’m in the Midwest and we only have red and whites (and varieties), is this Live oak?
I would save what you can for the wildlife. Dead trees are so important for wildlife- snags, stumps, anything in between. I love the look of snags, too.
If my tree- I would save as much as didn’t present a falling hazard. And you can place limbs, stumps,etc m in your yard somewhere…you’ll likely get fireflies, woodpeckers, .. ❤️
You can save it for as long as you want. Just don’t stand anywhere near it.
I’d probably try to save it with a wait and see, but with the other two starting to split no way. If it was me I’d take it down for firewood.
Probably not…try to get some acorns or volunteers from it and plant in place of it.🌳
Leave it alone. Nature’s way is much better
What are the shoots at the base, oak? Cut it down and favor the strongest shoot. It will have the whole root system to use and grow fast. Same tree. Saved. Look up coppicing.
The remaining tree does not appear to have split. Those appear to be 2 separate branches off of the main trunk. As they grow, they will become much heavier and will eventually split like the large front portion did. You are probably 6-10 years late with the cabling idea. Remove the tree and plant others. Sorry for your loss.
He’s dead, Jim.
Hoo boy. Well, if there is no risk of it dropping on a building etc. you can remove the third limb and hope for the others to make it many more years until unavoidably the core wood is rotten and they will split too. Damaged and dead trees are important ecospheres, something this sub usually forgets. You can have the remaining two limbs tied together to prevent the split but there’s nothing you can do about the huge open wound.
Not an expert:
I think your only chance is to remove the part that’s mostly broken off. If you can find a tree-friendly way to seal the wound and keep pests and rot from damaging the rest, then in about 5-10 years, that wound should close.
The rest of the tree looks well-balanced and stable. I think rot and pests are the biggest concern, but I’ve seen perfectly healthy trees with evidence of worse damage in the past.
It won’t be an easy journey, and there’s a good chance it will still be a loss, but if you’ve got the spirit, what’s the harm in trying to save it? If anything, you may learn something from the experience.
A bit of Wood glue and some straps and you‘re good to go.
I don’t understand why there are so many people acting like supplemental support is so expensive. Any DIYer could get the hardware to brace that for just a couple hundred dollars.
Unfortunately I believe you may lose the whole tree. Remove the broken branch and concentrate on saving the other two that appear to be separating. Remove some upper heavy libs to help relieve gravity stress. Good luck.