What Will Happen

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

secureland

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
May 3, 2008
Messages
448
Reaction score
34
Location
northeast
If I top some 50' Scotch Pine (pinus Sylvestris) at 10' high and kill them?

How long will they stand up and support a treehouse?

Thanks for any replys!
 
Meh, living trees like to shun the hardware accociated with treehouses.
The taller the tree the greater the sail effect, loosening boards & such.

Im sure theres ways to properly build the treehouse, you could potentially make a really cool one though.
 
It aint the wood or trunk you should be worried about, but the root system. when you build something you anchor a post in the ground 2 or 3 feet for support. you dont have that support when the tree dies and the root system rots.
 
It aint the wood or trunk you should be worried about, but the root system. when you build something you anchor a post in the ground 2 or 3 feet for support. you dont have that support when the tree dies and the root system rots.


What he said. I would not risk my business on leaving those "stumps" with a tree house on them.

I've seen many big scots pine stumps rot before the log goes. Though the hole for the hardware might go first.

If the client insisted, I would word any agrent as a "partial removal to 10 ft. Client will remove remainder at his own risk."
 
If you tied all the log together where you are only depending on the logs them self felling and it dont matter if their not anchored to the ground that might work. But for $100 you could go to lowes and buy four 4x4 post and go home and set them. Safer and alot easier to build off of.
 
I will go with 12 years, give or take 3 months.


What methods are required to not void the 12 year warranty?

I realize there are other ways of dealing with this. I could always design a better bracket system. Or convert it to a post supported system.

:cheers:
 
My BIL made a tree fort for his kids, tied into three live ash trees. Now I have three standing dead ash trees to take down. I'd say they are probably getting punky. I would get posts and plant them into concrete. Or leave them alive to make them more stable. I would not spend the $ to hook them into a dead pine for a few years.
:spam:
 
Until the treehouse falls, possibly killing children.:jawdrop:

There are many ways to build treehouses in living trees; why not look into that?

www.thetreehouseguide.com

Exactly.....what on earth is the fun in having a tree house in a dead tree?

I mean, sure, the safety issue is there, but I just can't imagine the fun in a dead tree fort.

And why scotch pines? No better choices?
 
Meh, living trees like to shun the hardware accociated with treehouses.
The taller the tree the greater the sail effect, loosening boards & such.

Im sure theres ways to properly build the treehouse, you could potentially make a really cool one though.

i think he is asking about cutting one or more 50' trees down to 10' off the ground, to build the tree fort on. i really don't think that there will be much sail effect.... it will more likely last long enough, for the kids to grow tired of it, grow up , and then become an eye sore... JMHO
 
What methods are required to not void the 12 year warranty?

:cheers:

Warrantying something like that is professional suicide. If you can do the removal without trashing the tree fort, then state in the contract that he is responsible for everything after you leave.

He is trying to shift the risk of his silly desires onto your liability. If he does not want to assume the risk of keeping the 10 ft stump up for multiple years, then walk.

Or charge for an annual inspection of the "stump" for $100 a visit :laugh:
 
Around here Cedar fence posts start to rot out in as little as 5 years. I cant see any type pine lasting more than a couple of years , especially in a load bearing situation.
 
I would be nervous after 2 years.

I'm not going to do it, I'll let them be and if the wind seems to be too much then go to an independent post supported structure. There are several other trees in the vicinity so it will still be nice.

Thanks for the replys!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top