Hi everyone,
I recently bought my first house and there is a large (90 ft?) tree in the backyard with a significant hole in the trunk.
I had a tree company come out and they quoted $3,500 to remove it, which seems fair based on what I've read – but is a lot more than I can handle right now after closing..
I'm trying to understand if this tree really needs to come down (this year), or if there are any reasonable steps that could stabilize it, or even delay removal for a while.
What I’m seeing:
• Large cavity in the trunk about 5.5 feet off the ground
• The cavity extends downward inside the trunk (looks like internal rot)
• The tree is otherwise alive and still has a full canopy in season
• It leans slightly but not dramatically
• It is about ~20 ft from the house, and near some power lines
Photos attached from multiple angles. I tried to color in what I could measure with my super scientific "measurement with a stick" test.
The red is what I know for sure, and the yellow portion was the only deep spot I found. The cavity seems to be like a fat popsicle.
Questions:
Does this level of trunk hollow typically mean the tree is dangerously compromised?
Is there any realistic way to slow further rot or stabilize it (cleaning the cavity, improving drainage, etc.)? Drilling a hole in the bottom so it can drain?
Can I use pruning seal to seal the wood, or expanding foam (great stuff brand) to fill the cavity?
Could something like selective pruning or canopy reduction reduce failure risk?
Is this something that could reasonably last a few more years, or is it more of an imminent hazard?
If removal is necessary, are there lower-cost strategies?
I’m not looking for miracle fixes, just trying to understand the actual risk level and whether there are intermediate options before full removal.
Thanks for any insight.
by 4BlueGentoos
29 Comments
Trees with hollows can live a very long time. Trying to fix it, will likely cause problems. Do nothing is my unprofessional advice.
Hollow trees can stay standing for a really long time, however if you are really concerned, look for a Certified Arborist with a TRAQ certification near you to come out and do a tree risk assessment.
Call a TRAQ certified arborist to come look at it to be certain.
If a removal is something you’re seriously considering, I understand due to how close this tree is to your house and power lines. If I were you I’d call the local utility company and tell them you are concerned about the health of this tree and its proximity to the pole and power lines. They will likely have someone come out within the week and they might do it for free.
That would be my suggestion as a utility arborist.
I have a tree with a hollow compartment with two entrances. Birds nest in it every year. Been that way well over a decade
New homeowner with hollow trees are ~2.126875% of all posts on the tree subs. It does not need to come down immediately is the reply in 97.99448625% of cases.
Plenty of hollow trees are fine, as long as the sapwood isnt rotting it could be alright. What does the canopy look like? Any recent large dead limbs?
All trees carry some sort of risk. It all boils down to targets, likelihood of failure/impact, and the tree owners personal appetite for risk.
10/10 illustrations.
No. It’s fine. You’re more in danger of falling than the tree is.
Tree looks like a silver maple – not the weakest wood but not the strongest either, they commonly loose big branches in storms, but not often fail at the trunk.
The hole looks to have good reaction wood around it, it does not appear to be an imminent risk of failure.
One way or another, i personally would be concerned about having this tree within striking distance of my house.
Have a TRAQ certified arborist come out and give you a proper risk assessment.
If you can’t afford to remove the tree all at once, and thats the way you decide to go, you can do a staged removal, where you get it taken down over a few years to manage the cost. Or maybe look into having support cables installed in the canopy if you want to try and keep the tree. The tree itself will manage the hole in the trunk.
Not a professional.
Maples are really good at living with gnarly hollows and stuff. Call an arborist if you want to be sure, but I wouldn’t be concerned, trees have evolved to compartmentalize the damage and seal itself up.
Leave it alone it will be fine
If you do decide to remove the tree, consider leaving the stump above the hollow cavity. Dead and/or hollow trees are actually really important habitat for wildlife.
We had a massive oak tree in our front yard right next to the road. By all appearances, it was healthy. In very late wind the crown split into two and half a gigantic tree fell into the road. It was terrifying. No clue that it had an issue. After that experience, I would really want to take that tree down.
That’s habitat! Preserve as long as possible and you may be rewarded with nesting owls or some such animal in housing crisis.
Some trees die fast, other last a really long time. The old maple in my front yard has a large hole in the old lead branch right at the top of the trunk for over 15 years now. The old owners took it out for some reason. It’s big enough to drop a basketball inside and a couple feet down. I lost a large branch that was rotten a couple years ago so it’s definitely on its way out, but it’s a beautiful old tree that keeps coming back and doesn’t pose much risk to anything so I’m letting it live out its remaining days as long as they last. If you like trees it’s really a question of risk. If it isn’t threatening anything than just enjoy it while you can.
Love the illustration. If my tree And If arborist says its still good id be putting a roof over it to block most the rain and turn it into a fairy/elf house.
Animal shelter for countless species. Keep.
Fill the cavity with poly-resin – oh wait, I thought this was r/woodworking…
I have a tree on my property thats had 10′ of hollow trunk for at least 20 years, she’s still standing proud 50’+ tall (in woods, no fall harm)
Whatever you do, don’t fill it with cement.
I definitely would have climbed in that as a child
It looks like if it is going to fall, it’s going to fall in the direction opposite the opening, and it might not even do that for another 20 years. As long as the tree looks otherwise generally healthy I wouldn’t worry about it.
Had a corkscrew willow in the front next the the driveway when we moved in 30 yrs ago. It had 17 4-8″ branches on it, that, over the years, I would hack off one of the branches here and there, until there were 4 main branches left. The trunk was like 3 1/2′ and the center was rotting out. It still had full coverage in the summer though.
Well, 2 years ago in the winter, the wind dropped the main body on my van. Took the last 2 and the trunk out in the spring. Don’t wait too long…
If the tree threatens buildings, I would have PART of the tree removed. Leave a good part of the trunk so that the hollow can be used for the birds for several more years. The tree itself may completely die after the cut, but it could throw up new branches and live as a shorter version of itself, making it less dangerous.
that tree will outlive all of us.
Have a silver maple almost identical to this, but about 80 feet tall in my backyard. Dad lopped half of it off about a decade ago, and the hole is about 3x larger than yours. Still standing lol
Yes immediately. No not at all. In a month or a year or ten. Last year. Maybe. Not sure.
Immediately sounds a little dramatic.
Check for wombats first
Could try to drill a hole up into the cavity so it can drain
I would let it be. It’s likely fine for a while and doesn’t appear to affect any major structures. Build a bird house to cover the hole and seal the joint between the wood and the tree to keep water out of the hole. Maybe sprinkle some bird seed in there