Who knows about trees?

[turbojimmy]

So it's REALLY windy in the northeast. I've been in my house for 7 years and there's this one tree that I've always suspected that's rotten in the middle. This was confirmed recently when a woodpecker was poking holes in it to get at the grubs inside. The tree is huge - about 50 or 60 feet tall and only about 30 feet from my house. About 8 feet up it splits into 2 - the dead part is on one of the legs of the "V". The wind took the dead part off about 15 feet up. Luckily it fell into the woods. My brother and I cut it what was left at the "V". The thing is rotten in the middle.

I jammed a crow bar (the only thing long and sharp I had laying around) into the middle of what's left of the dead part of the "V" and it went the whole way down into the base of the tree. Now the part of the "V" that's left worries me. This thing will take out windows, my deck, shed and fence if it comes down. I hate to take it down if it's not a risk, plus it's not really my tree. It's about 6" beyond my property line and belongs to the state of NJ.

So the question is, if the rot took out half the tree what are the chances the other half is healthy?

TIA,
Jim

 

[John Larkin]

If it has leaves on it, it's healthy. Probably be a good idea to get some rope, tie a rock to the end, throw it as high into the tree as possible, tie it off with a slipknot, then put tension on the rope so if the tree fell it would be pulled away from your house due to the rope. Maybe two ropes in a "V". You can stake the rope(s) to the ground or tie to another tree.

 

[2QUIK6]

The inside part of a tree is dead in any tree that is significantly old. The "viens" of a tree are mainly right under the bark, cut a tree all the way around about 1" under the bark and it will die. There's a tree that is less than 5 feet from my house and its about 4 feet in diameter, limbs die on it and fall off occassionally, but the bigger limps are healthly with leaves, the base of the tree look pitiful with large kankers/knots on it and some places that has no bark...it a huge limb over my house even becomes dead, I will be cutting it off or having it cut off before it falls on the house. I see lots of trees in the woods across the street that have a hole or hollow spot all the way thru them, squirrels usually live them.

 

[Tony87gn]

This sounds like a good idea for a horror movie, some alien type creatures coming up through your hollow tree from hell becuause you killed their leader with your crowbar when it hit him on the head :biggrin:

 

[SS_Sean]

A 50-60 foot tall tree is big? Okay, I see you're from NJ. :biggrin:

 

[turbojimmy]

A 50-60 foot tall tree is big? Okay, I see you're from NJ. :biggrin:

It's not that big I guess. It's big enough to damage my house. There's an oak out back that's a lot bigger, but it's not like a 1,000 ft. tall redwood.

A bunch of critters fell out of the middle of it - grubs I guess. I don't think it's doing well. It had living branches coming off of it, too. Here are some pics:

Jim

 

[Grumpy]

hey we got a nice pine tree for the house yesterday

 

[turbojimmy]

hey we got a nice pine tree for the house yesterday

That's what I'm trying to avoid!

Jim

 

[2QUIK6]

From the pics you posted, thats look pretty normal on the inside if it were the base/trunk, limbs usually don't get that way up high that I have noticed, especially in your damp environment, I know NJ gets alot more rain than we do, thats why you have trees taller than 100'. TX we don't too often.
Anyway, from the first pic, there doesn't look like much left of that tree, and really not enough upper limbs to make it catch much wind to blow it down, but being as there's not much left, if it makes you feel better, cut it on down.

Personally, I hate to cut trees down on my property cause they simply cannot be replaced in my lifetime, but I have cut 3 down, 2 for the garage expansion, 1 that died. I could have cut down 3 more for the garage, but I made the back wall at a 45 angle to avoid it..something a builder told me he couldn't do..and he had been building steel barns and garages for years...I had never built one and ended up building it myself and did the 45 degree wall which was a piece of cake to do....but whats left of your tree I'd have no problem removing if need be, mine were lot fuller than that one ..or you could leave it and see how it comes out next year..if weak, then cut it.

 

[Pronto]

That's what I'm trying to avoid!

I had a 125' pine taken down that was in my back yard. If it ever split off one of the 5 leaders it would have taken out either my house or my neighbors. I used to lay in bed on windy nights praying it didn't split and hit my son's bedroom. I have no regrets having it removed.

 

[bishir]

I had a tree about 5 feet in circumference hit our roof, put a small hole, and slide off. Thank god for 2x12 trusses and a 12on12 roof!

 

[RobsIron]

TJ your tree is a Water Oak. They all are hollow inside. It looks pretty healthy where it was cut...as stated earlier check the leaves.

In my county if a tree is within 20-25 feet of your house you can cut it down without a permit.

 

[turbojimmy]

TJ your tree is a Water Oak. They all are hollow inside. It looks pretty healthy where it was cut...as stated earlier check the leaves.

In my county if a tree is within 20-25 feet of your house you can cut it down without a permit.

Thanks for the info. I guess it just couldn't take the wind - it did have some new growth at the top but there were some dead branches on it.

They cleared a lot of trees to build my neighborhood so I'm thinking the reason that one only has growth on the top is because it was surrounded by other trees at one point. The guy next to me lost 5 similar trees the first year we lived here. I guess they get used to being shielded by other trees?

I might take what's left of that one down - not sure yet.

Jim

 

[fitz3820]

If you really want to save it call in an arborist, they can tell you much more than we can.

I would just cut it down, I cut down about 20 oaks around my house, don't wan't them hitting the house in a storm.

Fewer leaves this time of year too!

 

[turbojimmy]

If you really want to save it call in an arborist, they can tell you much more than we can.

I would just cut it down, I cut down about 20 oaks around my house, don't wan't them hitting the house in a storm.

Fewer leaves this time of year too!

I really don't feel compelled to save it, but I don't want to needlessly hack it down either. I think it's way off-balance now and poses a much greater danger than it did before. I'm going to cut it down - just have to figure out how and when.

Jim