Taking a slice out of a Sitka Spruce??

[davefr]

I have a Sitka Spruce that's about 75' tall and about 24" in diameter. It's about 12" from the corner of my cabin at the coast.

When the winds get over 75 mph (which is failry common) it actually starts crushing the gutters of the cabin. (although it doesn't lean enough to touch the structure).

I'd like to shave off a slice or notch about 2-3" thick and about 12" long to give it a little more clearance.

Will this hurt the tree?? It's very healthy and I don't want it removed but I'd really like another 2-3" clearance.

 

[Crofter]

Take the 3-4 inch slice out of the cabin, It will make a very good conversation piece!

Frank

 

[treeclimber165]

Can you modify the eave or the rain gutter? It will be a lot cheaper in the long run (people time) to modify the aluminum gutter rather than carve a chunk out of the supporting trunk of the 75' spruce. The spruce may live another 100 years or more(tree time), how long will the cabin be there? Is it worth shortening the life of the spruce, damaging the supporting trunk and creating a possible weak spot for future decay or insect infestation? The 10-20-30 years that the cabin may be there is but a short period in the life expectancy of the spruce.

The cabin is already dead. It will not hurt the cabin at all to cut out a few inches. The spruce is alive. It WILL hurt the tree to carve out a chunk.

 

[Stephen Wiley]

Where you located

Dave,

As with any decision, it is best to compile facts: e.g.; health of the tree, structural weaknesses that may result in premature failure,home designs, other landscape features, competing vegetation.

Several homes here in Oregon have been built around live trees! I have yet to be in some of these homes, very entertaining watching the results.

I to might suggest home remodel, but NOT without seeing the site and doing a tree assessment.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

You don't want to cut into the tree.
The response of the tree would be to chemically compartmentalize an area of the trunk to protect itself from the spread of decay. In the area where you damage the tree, the entire trunk will be sealed off from the new wood that is added in subsequent years. It is possible that an area as large as the diameter of the tree, at the time it was injured, could completely rot away. The only sound wood will be that which is added after the injury, leaving a completely hollow column much larger than the original injury. I linked a drawing below.

In modifing your cabin, take into consderation thaty the tree moves, even down close to the ground, and that it will grow about a 1/4" closer to the cabin each year, so give it plenty of room.

 

[Tim Gardner]

Why was the cabin built so close to the tree in the first place? Sounds like the tree, and you too, will have to suffer now that the ball was dropped on this one.

It amazes me how people will plan for everything when it comes to building a house and then build it too close to a tree. And this one is my favorite, "I want this live oak cut down so my grass will grow."

A property owner could save themselves a lot of money and headache by consulting with an arborist BEFORE building. Also consult an arborist before you approve any landscaping.

 

[ORclimber]

Davefr,
Yes, you will hurt the tree. By removing 2-3" out of the tree you will remove part of the trees vascular system called phloem which transports the trees food. The phloem is just inside the bark and I'll bet that tree has less than 1" thick bark. You will likely cut deep enough to also interupt the xylem which the trees water moves through.

 

[davefr]

Thanks for the info!! I think I'll leave the tree the way it is. The cabin was built 30 yrs ago and the tree hasn't hurt it yet even during 100+ mph winds.

I really don't care if the gutter gets bent. I can't imagine this tree will grow that much more in diameter. It's the largest Sitka Spruce on the property.

 

[Crofter]

Way to Go!

I sure was hoping the tree would win.

Frank

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

The fact that dave came looking for professional advice, lead me to believe that the tree would win.

Trust me dave, the tree will get bigger, that's what trees do. Every year the tree grows in circumference. That's why there are growth rings on a cross section of lumber. Each year, one ring. Unless the tree is dead, there will be a new layer of wood added to the entire tree. On bad years, the ring is small. On good years, it's big. Every year, it's there.

Neither tide nor time waits for no man.

 

[Stephen Wiley]

No Doubt the tree will!

Oregon's largest Sitka in 1973 had a diameter approximately of 215 inches at height of 206 feet. Not to far from the coast.

It is currently co-champion with one in Washington

So unless pre-existing conditions for failure, such as root rots, soil disturbance, root damage or trunk or sap rots influence its demise.

The tree will continue to grow.

 

[ORclimber]

Re: No Doubt the tree will!

Originally posted by Stephen Wiley
Oregon's largest Sitka in 1973 had a diameter approximately of 215 inches at height of 206 feet. Not to far from the coast.

East of Seaside, OR on Hwy 26, in need of a good deadwooding, and would be taller if the top hadn't blown out. But it's hundreds of years old.

 

[Kevin]

Does anyone make rubber gutters?

 

[M.D. Vaden]

If the tree is at the end of the gutter, you could cut 1, 2 or 3 feet off the gutter.

Or, if the tree is along the middle, remove that amount.

If the end, cut and add a new end cap to the gutter.

If in the middle, cut the section and put in 2 end caps.

I think that whether its a shake roof, or comp roof, you can slide a piece of angled flashing at the lower portion of the roof near the tree, to catch water and divert it a few feet where it will run off the end of the flashing piece and down into the remaining gutter.

That will spare the tree, and spare cutting your eve for about 5 to 10 years.

You must be in Oregon where we are, or in Washington.

 

[Bob Wulkowicz]

Up in Nova Scotia, at the new home we bought, the basement walls had washed out and collapsed. Up there, they don't use gutters (called eavestroughings) maybe that's why, and rain from the roof simply falls next to the building.

It was all in really bad shape and I was sitting up a the gas station lunch counter in the company of all these sea-wrinkled faces and telling my troubles.

"I had exactly the same problem.", one finally said.

"What did you do?", I asked.

"Moved the house 40 feet."


There you are...


Bob Wulkowicz

 

[M.D. Vaden]

ORClimber mentioned the largest Sitka in the US, located near Seaside Oregon - its about 6 miles east of that town on Hy. 26.

The driveway is at either mile marker 2 or mile marker 3. Turn in and go about 500 feet. There it is.

They put in a wood walk ramp to it, with a deck around. Probably to reduce traffic near the base.

It is a "crying shame" that they did not take a ramp to it from both sides with decking going around the back.

The view of the flare of the base, and the tree trunk size roots used to be an impressive sight.

They could have put a short cyclone fence across the front to stop traffic and allow a view.

Now the tree looks smaller. That's what many visitors say - "looks smaller than the last time I say it".

 

[Stephen Wiley]

No Doubt, the influence of our State Urban Forestry Commission. (Proof that ideas for preservation and enjoyment are NOT always executed appropiately).

Unfortunate, last time I visited the tree I took pictures of my wife and I at the base. No walk existed.

Someone should have directed their attention to Oregon's largest Ponderosa Pine for protection measures.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

I have photos of the large Sitka Spruce in Oregon, but no digital. I also prefer digital camera photos over scanned conventional photos.

Our website is business, but is also being changed bit by bit to represent some of Oregon - we noticed that 1/2 our page views are from out of state and the USA.

I'd like to put up a photo of that largest Sitka on our website. If anyone has a digital photo, or an excellent file of a scanned one, I'd like to add it to our site.

What I'm after is a photo of the tree before the deck went in so that the massive base shows.

If you have a photo to share, please send it jpg. to [email protected] with a clear notation about what is in the file.

Thanks