Hello everybody. I am trying to figure out what's wrong with this oak...there are ants eating and bark falling off on the one side. To look up through the tree it looks pretty good. I am looking at what the likelihood of damage is if the thing is hollow etc. or how to test that. Thank you.
Is this oak dying?
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ClimbinArbor
ArboristSite Guru
cant tell much fromt he pics.... try the homeowner or plant health forum.
you can tell if a tree is hollow with a rubber mallet. strike the trunk on a hollow tree and you will get a resounding thud, as opposed to a light thump on non hollow trees
you can tell if a tree is hollow with a rubber mallet. strike the trunk on a hollow tree and you will get a resounding thud, as opposed to a light thump on non hollow trees
tomtrees58
Addicted to ArboristSite
nice hit looks like lighting tom trees
Lightning?
So how long after the lightning strikes does it take for this to happen?
So how long after the lightning strikes does it take for this to happen?
papa1stuff
New Member
I had a large oak get hit by lightning and next morning when I went out it had streaks og bark missing all the way up the tree .
It was dead in a few days !
It was dead in a few days !
My thoughts ran to lightning, but I think it looks old. I suspect an older lightning hit that the tree has survived, and now various decay elements are moving in.
Ants certainly don't move in the day after a lightning strike.
I would scale dead bark away, look for borer damage. Spray to kill the carpenter ants, if they are living in the tree. Watch for dieback in the crown.
It looks like there is a split in the trunk. Watch for movement on a windy day. Cabling might be called for if the split looks like it will cause failure.
The mallet test would be good to do on the trunk, and perhaps a bit higher in the tree as well.
Ants certainly don't move in the day after a lightning strike.
I would scale dead bark away, look for borer damage. Spray to kill the carpenter ants, if they are living in the tree. Watch for dieback in the crown.
It looks like there is a split in the trunk. Watch for movement on a windy day. Cabling might be called for if the split looks like it will cause failure.
The mallet test would be good to do on the trunk, and perhaps a bit higher in the tree as well.
what to spray the ants with?
I thought the ants didn't harm the tree...but if I need to get rid of them what do I put on it? Thank you much for your advice.
I thought the ants didn't harm the tree...but if I need to get rid of them what do I put on it? Thank you much for your advice.
treemandan
Tree Freak
THOOOMASSS! ( That's what the maid would shriek at the cat on the cartoon Tom and Jerry).
Look, dude, seriously, you are going to have to give a little more- I have and look where its gotten me.
Anyway- I don't think that kinda of cracking is lightning but if you think so; What makes you so sure?
Personally I have found that any tree hit by any lightning exploded and sent splinters 50 yards.
Maybe it was just a small bolt that hit it? I don't really know.
mckeetree
Addicted to ArboristSite
Maybe old frost damage healing over.
should I take it out?
Does the tree need to be removed? I will do as suggested with a rubber mallet. I have heard of drilling with a long small bit to see how much is hollow/rotten. Is this a good idea?
Does the tree need to be removed? I will do as suggested with a rubber mallet. I have heard of drilling with a long small bit to see how much is hollow/rotten. Is this a good idea?
ClimbinArbor
ArboristSite Guru
id say not to the drilling. i dont even like it on cabling unless required. you should call out an arborist or post more thorough pics of the canopy and trunk.
It is a last resort. Mallet usually tells you enough. Excavating and eyeballing works best. The lightning theory is not well supported by the evidence.
Ants are not bad for the tree. Please take off the dead bark and post another picture.
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Bigus Termitius
Addicted to ArboristSite
I don't think that is lightning either.
One night out on the old farm, 20 years ago, lightning struck one of the two large maples out in front of the house. I was sleeping right next to the first level window that was within 30 feet of the base when it hit.
The bark hit the window so hard I thought it should have shattered. The next morning a spiral stripe of bark was gone clear to the top. The tree lived for many years until they bulldozed most of the property 7 years ago. The one next to it died shortly after the strike. Splain That?!
I'm not saying that lightning killed it....but this is what happened.
This looks like old frost damage to me too.
One night out on the old farm, 20 years ago, lightning struck one of the two large maples out in front of the house. I was sleeping right next to the first level window that was within 30 feet of the base when it hit.
The bark hit the window so hard I thought it should have shattered. The next morning a spiral stripe of bark was gone clear to the top. The tree lived for many years until they bulldozed most of the property 7 years ago. The one next to it died shortly after the strike. Splain That?!
I'm not saying that lightning killed it....but this is what happened.
This looks like old frost damage to me too.
Sunrise Guy
Addicted to ArboristSite
What I see is an oak in need of proper pruning and a lawn-scalping job, the crack you show, notwithstanding. Granted, the pic of the tree does not let me see details, too well, but I think I see the problem: The lush lawn around the tree has grown right up to the bark. It also looks like the root flare is buried.
I do 3-4 of these jobs per week: Scalp the lawn around the base of the tree. Hoe the ground to a radius of 4-6 feet out from the tree, if the DBH is what it appears to be in the pic. Dig down, carefully, or use an air spade, until you expose the root flare. After turning the ground to a depth of 3-4 inches around the root flare, and out to your circle perimeter, apply a 2-4" layer of mulch in a swale and berm pattern. The berm is on the outside. Do not bring the swale right up to the bark.
I have brought back trees from the edge of death by using the simple procedure, above. The trouble is, people bury the root flare, at installation, or construction/remodel jobs do the same. Major gaseous exchange occurs there, and the tree's life is greatly shortened when the root flare is buried under soil and/or mulch. Also, thick grass/sod that comes right up to the trunk's bark will out-compete the tree for water, and that puts the tree in a downward spiral. Ants and other opportunistic agents move on in.
The damage you show does not look like lightning to me, FWIW. It may be some old damage from any number of things. As the tree dries out, the crack will become larger and more ants will move in.
Good luck. I hope you save the tree.
I do 3-4 of these jobs per week: Scalp the lawn around the base of the tree. Hoe the ground to a radius of 4-6 feet out from the tree, if the DBH is what it appears to be in the pic. Dig down, carefully, or use an air spade, until you expose the root flare. After turning the ground to a depth of 3-4 inches around the root flare, and out to your circle perimeter, apply a 2-4" layer of mulch in a swale and berm pattern. The berm is on the outside. Do not bring the swale right up to the bark.
I have brought back trees from the edge of death by using the simple procedure, above. The trouble is, people bury the root flare, at installation, or construction/remodel jobs do the same. Major gaseous exchange occurs there, and the tree's life is greatly shortened when the root flare is buried under soil and/or mulch. Also, thick grass/sod that comes right up to the trunk's bark will out-compete the tree for water, and that puts the tree in a downward spiral. Ants and other opportunistic agents move on in.
The damage you show does not look like lightning to me, FWIW. It may be some old damage from any number of things. As the tree dries out, the crack will become larger and more ants will move in.
Good luck. I hope you save the tree.
more oak pics
Here are some more pics after I pulled off some bark. Initially there were 50 or so big ants....a few with wings that immediately went deeper after I pulled off the bark. The screw driver hit solid wood about 3 inches in. The crack appears to have healed itself. I tapped it with a rubber mallet and could not tell any difference in the sound except where the pictures show decay. Also what are the holes in the bark. Wood borers? Is this relevant?
Here are some more pics after I pulled off some bark. Initially there were 50 or so big ants....a few with wings that immediately went deeper after I pulled off the bark. The screw driver hit solid wood about 3 inches in. The crack appears to have healed itself. I tapped it with a rubber mallet and could not tell any difference in the sound except where the pictures show decay. Also what are the holes in the bark. Wood borers? Is this relevant?
The holes are not likely an issue if there is nothing coming out of them. I would flush them out with the hose and then squirt in a repellent.
"Scalp the lawn around the base of the tree. Hoe the ground to a radius of 4-6 feet out from the tree, if the DBH is what it appears to be in the pic. Dig down, carefully, or use an air spade, until you expose the root flare. After turning the ground to a depth of 3-4 inches around the root flare, and out to your circle perimeter, apply a 2-4" layer of mulch in a swale and berm pattern. The berm is on the outside. Do not bring the swale right up to the bark.
I have brought back trees from the edge of death by using the simple procedure, above. The trouble is, people bury the root flare, at installation, or construction/remodel jobs do the same. Major gaseous exchange occurs there, and the tree's life is greatly shortened when the root flare is buried under soil and/or mulch. Also, thick grass/sod that comes right up to the trunk's bark will out-compete the tree for water, and that puts the tree in a downward spiral."
Absolutely excellent arboriculture.
"Scalp the lawn around the base of the tree. Hoe the ground to a radius of 4-6 feet out from the tree, if the DBH is what it appears to be in the pic. Dig down, carefully, or use an air spade, until you expose the root flare. After turning the ground to a depth of 3-4 inches around the root flare, and out to your circle perimeter, apply a 2-4" layer of mulch in a swale and berm pattern. The berm is on the outside. Do not bring the swale right up to the bark.
I have brought back trees from the edge of death by using the simple procedure, above. The trouble is, people bury the root flare, at installation, or construction/remodel jobs do the same. Major gaseous exchange occurs there, and the tree's life is greatly shortened when the root flare is buried under soil and/or mulch. Also, thick grass/sod that comes right up to the trunk's bark will out-compete the tree for water, and that puts the tree in a downward spiral."
Absolutely excellent arboriculture.
home made mulch
Is mulch from our chipper...mostly soft maple with leaves and all okay for this purpose??
Is mulch from our chipper...mostly soft maple with leaves and all okay for this purpose??
RiverRat2
Serio Tree Freak
I would have to agree that it is NOT lightning,,, Lightning would rip a strip of bark down from the Crown and almost always a spiraled effect,,,, removing large chunks of wood with it... and sometimes blowing a hole in the ground,,,
as stated some live through it,,,,, some are dead within a week,,,,,
Also you have been given good advice to expose the root flair,, and aireate the soil out as discribed by sunrise and treeseer,,,, exterminate pest get your mulch build your berm/swale, make it look like a volcano sloping down toward the tree taking care not to re-cover the root/buttress flares,,,,
as stated some live through it,,,,, some are dead within a week,,,,,
Also you have been given good advice to expose the root flair,, and aireate the soil out as discribed by sunrise and treeseer,,,, exterminate pest get your mulch build your berm/swale, make it look like a volcano sloping down toward the tree taking care not to re-cover the root/buttress flares,,,,
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Yes, definitely. If there is concern about the mulch being too raw, broadcast fert before applying mulch.
ClimbinArbor
ArboristSite Guru
dont put untreated mulch to close to the home though..... it could attract termites
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