2nd pic shows her a few weeks ago for reference of how big she was.
A drunk driver careened through our yard last night and bowled over our tulip poplar sapling. (You can see in pic one that the top half is on the ground.)
I am planning to re-stake her upright but is there a chance she comes back from this? I’m worried because she lost so many branches (and her entire top half.) 🙁
by Same-LameName
2 Comments
Not an arborist — tulip poplars are extremely vigorous (especially young) and although this is a fairly major injury the tree should snap back just fine and over maybe 2-3 seasons you may not even know anymore. You may need to prune a bit next year to help the tree have good structure if it starts forming co-dominant leaders after losing its central leader branch.
The bigger danger is if any of the bark was scraped away damaging the green cambium layer under the bark. This is the living portion of the woody parts of the tree that is responsible for generating new cells and transporting carbohydrates produced by photosynthesis down to the roots. If this is damaged it can more drastically limit the tree’s potential.
Also sorry to hear about the drunk driver incident that sounds scary in general.
Side note, tulip trees get really big really fast and have a reputation for trunk and limb failures due to their relatively weak wood so this may be a good time to consider replacing with a more appropriate tree for a space this size — just my 2¢
Was the driver identified? If so does that person have auto insurance? Make a claim for a new tree under their property damage coverage.