This is one of not the oldest oak tree in my town. It is our neighbors who are just moving back into the house after about 5-8 years of not living here. The tree was neglected for that period of time and sat with fungus growth around the trunk. The first opinion was given by a company called “UpWithTrees” they said that the fungus rot had infected the roots and was not able to be saved. They made an offer to cut it down for $500 but they take all the wood. This was a little fishy and we recommend another opinion because the wood on a tree like this is worth thousands. If anyone has advice or information I will happily accept it.
by Hot-Swimmer1872
25 Comments
Edit: the company said the tree had about 5 years before it will be at risk of falling.
That things is beautiful, and appears to be a good distance from infrastructure. Id let nature take its course.
The adage of “If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is” is flooding my mind hearing an estimate of $500.
There are people that spend more than that to have a single 20yo ornamental tree mildly pruned.
The most alarming thing in this story is the estimate to remove it. That’s more alarming to me than the sick tree with mushrooms growing on it.
Innonotus dryadeus or similar. You are going down a road you can’t turn around on.
Doesn’t look like a 300 year old tree to me. How old is the neighborhood? That’s usually a better indicator of the age of the tree.
300 years seems generous.
$500 to take down a monster Oak is even more generous. They are 100% going to make a killing off that wood.
Pictures in spring and summer would be better to help assess over the internet. I’d call a certified arborist to come out and take a look at it. Especially when the fungus is re-fruiting at the bottom so they can see what kind it is.
That’s a bracket fungus from here with information provided. Often indicative of butt rot/root rot. Neighbors should contact an [ISA Certified Arborist](https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist/findanarborist/) with a Tree Risk Assessment Qualification to verify and outline how long they have.
All trees that are ‘old’ or old for the species are going to have fungus on them at some point. This is no reason to take the tree down. If there’s no direct danger for the surroundings please let it be.
The oldest Oaks on this planet have all kinds of fungus on them and it’s fine.
Isn’t it something like”oak trees take 100 years to grow, 100 years to live, and 100 years to die”?
No way in hell this tree is 300 years old. It had little to no competition, and grew for 80-100
(Not an arbourist, just a fan of trees.)
There’s always going to be people willing to lie if it means a big payday, and with the monetary incentive to take down a tree that big, they’ll happily amp up the severity of the root damage for it. The tree wasn’t neglected for 5 years, it was just left to do its own thing like it has for 50+ million years as a species, which strives for longevity. Also, the presence of a fungal infection isn’t an instant death sentence by any means, especially not one that warrants its removal. If the tree doesn’t need to be removed, I’d leave it and let it continue standing for as long as nature intends. If limbs start looking sketchy then it could be addressed further then, but imo I’d just have another consulting arborist who doesn’t have the incentive of taking down the tree come by and assess the situation
Looks like it needs a few yards of topsoil under the drip line with some native grasses planted to drive roots deep and break up the soil for better water infiltration and retention. It might flourish with a plan like that, and whatever parts have rot will continue to decay as the tree grows, and create deadwood and hollows for wildlife and insects. Please please keep that tree.
(I was an arborist for 3 years while I got my botany degree and then transitioned to ecosystem restoration)
If it’s not leafing out or all the leaves have died, it’s dead. You don’t have to rush taking it down though. Oaks can stand dead for a long time. I’m skeptical about the 300 years however. 500 dollars seems way low for removal.
That tree is not big enough for the wood to be worth anything. How many boards do you think you’re getting from it? You need a lot of completely straight sections. You don’t even know how dead it is inside it already has mushrooms growing on it
It’s fine
How old this oak is cannot be determined from any photos as its thickness depends a lot on the environment it grows in but an oak can be over 1000 years old. When they get old they start to rot from the inside and become hollow, which is beneficial for insects and small animals. Many oaks keep their leaves over the winter, so the fact that the oak still has its leaves does not mean that it is dead. Leave it alone, but if the neighbor wants to remove it, make sure it is sold, because if the wood is healthy it is not the cheapest to buy when building furniture etc.
I have used Google Translate because I am not good at writing in English.
Just fyi, this lumbers isn’t worth thousands, at least not in its present state – and likely ever.
I’m a bit beyond a hobbyist woodworker. I buy rough lumber and process myself to save money. Let me walk you through what that means BEFORE lumber is even “rough”.
For this tree, the main value is the trunk, and roughly 12 feet up. None of those limbs are likely worth anything more than firewood. They’re too small, curved, knotted, or otherwise defective.
That 12 foot section, can be milled a few ways. After they prune it, chop it, lift it, haul it, and eventually drop it at a mill. A massive expenditure RARELY taken on a neighborhood oak, because it simply isn’t worthwhile.
That section isn’t particularly straight or smooth. It is likely riddled with 100 years of random nails. It will wreak havoc on bandsaws. If it were an exotic, it may be worthwhile, but this isn’t even white oak.
If it were a massive burled figure, maybe.
But assuming you’ve found a mill willing to process it, and paid them hundreds, you now need to age or kiln dry the lumber. That is either several years, or several more hundred.
If it was slabbed, you’re now trying to sell several hundred pound chunks over marketplace. You’re not getting wood store prices, but private wood workers like myself.
If it was boarded, you’ve now got rough lumber. It’s likely worth, at bulk, $3 a board foot. If you take the time to refine that, through a second milling process, it’s probably $8-10 a board foot.
TLDR. Lumber is expensive. Only after the very painful process of processing, and only if it is rare and cabinet grade.
$500 lol. They either know someone down at the local mill or they have a firewood operation going. Probably both. Don’t dare let them cut that tree down!! If it dies so be it but until then live and let live!!
That is not 300 years old 😂
please just let it be, thats an absolutely amazing tree
Not an arborist, but I lost an estimated 300 year old white oak a few years ago. It was over 6 feet in diameter. I did a few diagnostic tests to confirm its health. Ultimately, we did Arbotom diagnostics and it confirmed that it had substantial rot. The cost to remove it was $7,500 CAD without grinding. I had quotes up to $12,000. Something fishy is going on.
For more info: nobody wants to remove it besides the company that gave the neighbor the quote. I was not there when the quote was made but she made it sound like it was a “severe” liability if they did not remove it so I am assuming the company exaggerated the severity. Also how are you able to tell the trees age? I was told by the neighbor that it was around 309 yrs old but according to the comments that is complete bs lol.
Edit: Tree is roughly 63 inches in diameter just measured
Even lumber. Nobody’s going to make a killing
Is this tulsa?
That’s all normal.
Love to collect eat those mushrooms from old oak trees.
It may need some pruning but that is beautiful oak.