They can’t maintain it anymore – palms are extremely dangerous when they have that many dead fronds. Professional arborists have died trying to clean them up.
There’s a *lot* of weight in those dead fronds and they’re extremely unstable now. They could all fall down at once. Hopefully nobody is standing close to the tree when (not if) they come down. Good chance it will happen as soon as someone touches it with a saw.
peen_was
Not technically a tree but a member of the grass family
I leave dead fronds on my fan palm. Orioles build nests in them. They make a very cute hanging nest. You can google “oriole nest” to see typical pictures of them. “**An oriole nest is a hanging, woven basket, typically anchored to a tree branch, and built almost entirely by the female. She uses materials like grass, plant fibers, and even artificial fibers like yarn or fishing line to weave the nest. The construction involves creating a strong outer bowl, followed by a springier inner bowl, and finally, a soft lining for the eggs. “**
Forest_Raker_916
Throw it back on their side
elocmj
Certified arborist here.
That tree is right on the cusp of losing all those fronds. You’ll notice younger palms hold onto them but older, taller palms are typically bare below the crown.
That load of fronds can be very dangerous for people working on them. They are deceptively heavy and require experience to clean them properly. Most tree work is done from the bottom up. If an arborist were tied into the tree and climbing up, cutting fronds as he went, there’s a chance the entire collection would slough off and trap him. With a lanyard around the tree and a mass of fronds pinning then to the trunk, it’s difficult to breath, let alone move. Arborists have died clearing fronds from palms. Whatever happens, DO NOT let someone trim these while standing under the tree. Best method would be cutting from a bucket lift and starting at the top.
Despite all this, the safest thing to do would be to give it time and avoid hanging out beneath it. There’s no way to know for sure, but it looks like it’s almost ready to slough. It’ll be a mess to clean up but it will be much safer (and cheaper) to let it happen naturally.
It sucks that it’s making a mess on your deck and it sucks that it’s not your tree to manage. But it also is not your liability or invoice.
While we’re on the subject, green fronds should be pruned no higher than 90° out from the trunk. The “hurricane cut” method of taking all but the topmost fronds is old, outdated, and detrimental to the health of the tree.
I encourage you to share this info with your neighbor. Good luck!
supremeaesthete
Those things are nasty, one time in Turkey I almost got hit by a falling frond like that, luckily I just got a few scratches on my leg, but that shit was pretty heavy. You should probably stay away until nature takes it’s course and they fall off – even a strong gust of wind will do the job, so, yeah.
In the case someone wants to clean it up – start from the top
Creative_Syllabub_13
You can always put a match to the bottom. It’s fairly spectacular but doesn’t usually spread beyond that tree and won’t kill it. Though the wooden fence and decking might pose an unacceptable risk.
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Free mulch
They can’t maintain it anymore – palms are extremely dangerous when they have that many dead fronds. Professional arborists have died trying to clean them up.
There’s a *lot* of weight in those dead fronds and they’re extremely unstable now. They could all fall down at once. Hopefully nobody is standing close to the tree when (not if) they come down. Good chance it will happen as soon as someone touches it with a saw.
Not technically a tree but a member of the grass family
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecaceae
I leave dead fronds on my fan palm. Orioles build nests in them. They make a very cute hanging nest. You can google “oriole nest” to see typical pictures of them. “**An oriole nest is a hanging, woven basket, typically anchored to a tree branch, and built almost entirely by the female. She uses materials like grass, plant fibers, and even artificial fibers like yarn or fishing line to weave the nest. The construction involves creating a strong outer bowl, followed by a springier inner bowl, and finally, a soft lining for the eggs. “**
Throw it back on their side
Certified arborist here.
That tree is right on the cusp of losing all those fronds. You’ll notice younger palms hold onto them but older, taller palms are typically bare below the crown.
That load of fronds can be very dangerous for people working on them. They are deceptively heavy and require experience to clean them properly. Most tree work is done from the bottom up. If an arborist were tied into the tree and climbing up, cutting fronds as he went, there’s a chance the entire collection would slough off and trap him. With a lanyard around the tree and a mass of fronds pinning then to the trunk, it’s difficult to breath, let alone move. Arborists have died clearing fronds from palms. Whatever happens, DO NOT let someone trim these while standing under the tree. Best method would be cutting from a bucket lift and starting at the top.
Despite all this, the safest thing to do would be to give it time and avoid hanging out beneath it. There’s no way to know for sure, but it looks like it’s almost ready to slough. It’ll be a mess to clean up but it will be much safer (and cheaper) to let it happen naturally.
It sucks that it’s making a mess on your deck and it sucks that it’s not your tree to manage. But it also is not your liability or invoice.
While we’re on the subject, green fronds should be pruned no higher than 90° out from the trunk. The “hurricane cut” method of taking all but the topmost fronds is old, outdated, and detrimental to the health of the tree.
I encourage you to share this info with your neighbor. Good luck!
Those things are nasty, one time in Turkey I almost got hit by a falling frond like that, luckily I just got a few scratches on my leg, but that shit was pretty heavy. You should probably stay away until nature takes it’s course and they fall off – even a strong gust of wind will do the job, so, yeah.
In the case someone wants to clean it up – start from the top
You can always put a match to the bottom. It’s fairly spectacular but doesn’t usually spread beyond that tree and won’t kill it. Though the wooden fence and decking might pose an unacceptable risk.