3 oaks too close together?

[wysiwyg]

There are three burr oaks in our backyard that are oriented in a north-south line, with about three feet in between each one. I'm not sure how they got planted that way, most likely squirrels. I'll post a picture below, they are marked with an X on the trunk.

The two left ones are about 20 feet tall and have 3" diameter trunks. The one on the right is about 4 feet shorter and has a 1.5" diameter trunk.

I would like at least one of these trees to make it to maturity, but I'm not sure what to do...take out one or two, or let all three fight it out. So far they don't seem to be impeding each other's growth, but are beginning to become tangled up in each other. Any suggestions?

 

[NickfromWI]

I would let them grow together. If you want them to have a great chance, prune back all that other stuff growing around them.

love
nick

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Every few years have some pruning done to encourage good structure. IE train for good leaders, subordinate low branches that may need to come off in the future...

After a few years cull the worst one several more years cull the next worst one.


It all depends on what you want to do with the yard and the tree (s) in the long term

 

[TREETX]

I would lean towards removing one. You will lose nothing by doing that. I would rather have 2 healthy trees than 3 funky trees all doing a poor job at over competing.

I think Nick is to afraid to lose a tree. I say you are not losing anything all you are doing is merely redistributing the growth potential over the residual stand. Same goes for any other competition you remove.

Competition is good - to get that tall, straight trees.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Originally posted by TREETX


Competition is good - to get that tall, straight trees.

My reasoning for waiting.

I might remove the middile first to allow better growth room, but IMO it's not needed yet.

One can micro-manage the trees for a while first.

 

[wysiwyg]

Thanks for all the great replies.

These oaks are located about 30 feet inside the back property line of a 3 acre property. This property line, along with an adjacent one, is dominated by a mix of mature burr and pin oaks, shagbark hickories, some green ash, and previously some mature box elder and a bad infestation of buckthorn. A few years ago I took out all the box elder and almost all of the buckthorn (still spraying the stumps/sprouts), which was also choking off the three trees in question. (They are now in the open, the picture didn't show this too well) My goal is to help the oaks and hickories as they try to establish themselves farther into the property, but leave the area as "natural" as possible (ie, not part of a formal landscape).

Is it possible for burr oaks to "merge" once the trunks attain enough girth to touch each other? The reason I ask is because there is one double-trunked burr on the property, each trunk about 4 feet in diameter, that appears from the bark pattern in the first 5 ft of height it might have done this, and appears very strong and healthy with a great form and canopy. It may also be one tree with two trunks of course. The reason I ask is, maybe these three trees will one day, decades from now, merge instead of choking each other?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

In most clump plantings you will have one dominant tree and one stunted that often will decline early.

IMO any landscapeplanting that is intended to live for many decades should have an unobstructed area for the basal flair to develop.

Yes they could eventualy join together, but more likely one will die out, leaving a defect in any one touching.

 

[wysiwyg]

I cut out the brush around the base to ensure the lower branches get enough sunlight. I could see that the branches that are touching near the top are starting to deform and have what looked to be some faint rubbing marks.

I think I'll let them go a few more years and then make a final decision. Hopefully mother nature will help out and kill one of them off, but (unfortunately?) all three seem to look healthy. It's sure to be a tough decision.

Thanks again for all the suggestions!