This is absolutely blowing my mind. This tree seemed totally healthy and normal last fall, but in the last 2-3 months has lost most of its bark. ChatGPT says it was a pileated woodpecker, but this tree is directly out my back window, and I have never seen it. First question – I assume it was actually a woodpecker, right? Next question: how long do I have until this tree is a risk of falling? It's not in range of my house, but it could take out a fence on its way down.
by endlesscoffeesupply
9 Comments
Woodpecker damage possibly secondary to an emerald ash borer infestation.
somewhere from 0-10,000 days.
fwiw dead ash trees don’t stay standing that long.
you might find someone willing to climb it and dismantle it, or just take your chances about the fence (which, to be fair, would probably be cheaper than an arborist, if that happens)
EAB
Until the first person tosses a cigarette within a mile of it
I’m very familiar with the pattern of ash decline since I’ve had to remove about 30 of them from my wooded lot over the last 5 years. Its 100 percent impossible to know when one will come down but there are certain indicators you can look for. You still have a lot of small branches left in the canopy so you probably have a few years before it becomes a big worry. You’ll see it start to drop the smaller branches first but when they start dropping bigger branches then time is running short. If you see any fungus on the tree then the rot is advancing and strength of the branch or trunk is very degraded in that area. The roots also rot though so you don’t know if they’ll give out even if it doesn’t look that bad up top. A climber would probably still climb this tree but if you wait to long they won’t. Ash is a very nice strong wood but it degrades very quickly once it’s dead. Excellent firewood is the only silver lining.
Likely a pleated woodpecker eating the Emerald Ash Borer already in your tree
Most of those big branches are already dead.
Pileated woodpeckers generally makes holes and piles of wood chippings, not strip bark , the trees dying if not dead already.
Where there’s one ash tree there are usually more. Get ready for them to all go. Buy a saw and learn to use it if you can.
That’s some pretty severe blonding (woodpecker damage) This tree looks like it’s been mostly dead for a while.