Can I save part of this birch?

[Pondracer]

Hi,

3 weeks ago we found one side of our river birch had split over the winter. I was forced to cut off one side of the split, but left the other half hoping we could save it.

Take a look...

Birch Split (80k)
Birch Split (262k)
Birch Split (79k)

I was thinking of making a series of clamps from cypress or ipe that would be profiled to the tree trunk. Use some 1/2" hex head bolts on the clamps and use that to pull the split together. But is it worth it?

Thanks for looking!

 

[treeseer]

Too bad you had to cut the other half.

Birches rot quick.

I think you need to look at some crown reduction to lessen the strain on that defect.

 

[jason j ladue]

looks to me like the rest of that split stem should be taken out, too. i cant imagine that thing ever recovering. like treeseer said. the rot will advance too quickly. it will invive bugs and pathogens that may infect the remaining, healthy growth...

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

My advice is to leave the injury alone for the time being. Go to the hardware store and buy a couple eye hooks, some cable and and four cable clamps. What I suggest is that you run a cable across from the stem that is damaged, to the other big stem.
You don't want to wrap the cable around the stem, but rather you want to drill a small pilot hole to screw the eye hook into, then attach the cable to that.
The height of the cable should be as high as you can safely get, or 2/3's of the way to the top of the tree, which ever comes first.
The cable should be slightly slack, with just a slight droop in the cable. Then if it gets a load the cable will tension up and support the weak half.
You will need to decide what size hardware to use.
An arborist would do this job for about $175 to $200.
I would not reduce the size of the crown, unless you are planing to slowly remove that stem at some point, which of course is another option. Cut away at it to make room for branches from the other leads, and in time it can be removed completely without leaving a big ugly hole.

 

[topnotchtree]

It is hard to tell from the pics, is there anything the tree will damage if the rest of it fell? I would think this is something to consider.

 

[Pondracer]

Its pretty much clear to fall and not hurt anything, and we don't have any kids. Here's a better picture from last fall.

The right side is the one that split.

 

[NickfromWI]

And what does it look like now?

 

[Old Monkey]

I swear I'm not an evil "cut it all down" type, but I think I would cut it down and start over. The tree doesn't appear to be that old and although its still a pretty tree, the yard would be fine without it. I am not an arborist but the way the two trunks ar joined will never make for a sturdy tree. Plus birches, at least where I live, aren't long lived.

 

[jason j ladue]

looking at it from this angle, i think that is what i would do too, monkey. too bad- nice tree. i also try to preserve as much as possible, but i dont think there's much hope left for this one. i think it would look kind of funny if you cut out the broken part and left the otherwise uneffected stem. but the broken stem is dust for sure.

 

[treeseer]

I agree with Mike; installing some support is a reasonable way to prolong the life of that stem. It's an open question whether the rot will outrace the growth of woundwood--scar tissue--, way too open to proclaim that stem "dust".

I also agree that the only time that a stem or branch should be shortened is when it is being gradually removed. Every tree will at some point need to be removed. Even if you had that wounded stem professionally reduced and then you and your heirs let it grow for a century or two until it died of old age, those reduction cuts could be considered part of a gradual removal.

See Mike we agree on crown reduction!! :angel:

"Consider canopy reduction...on a large tree that has substantial decay, making it a risk for catastrophic failure." Dr. Gilman's advice, in the Illustrated Guide to Pruning, is sound; he says nothing about gradual removal. but only a skilled arborist with good pole tools could make the right reduction cuts on this tree. Installing the cable should hold it up ok.

This looks like a river birch, Betula nigra, which lives much longer than paper birches

 

[clearance]

I swear I'm not an evil 'cut it all down" type, but-Old Monkey you don't have to appease the huggers. I am not evil, don't want to cut it all down, but in this case.......A lot of the time when people ask for help on thier fecked up trees here, the race is on to try and save it, regardless.

 

[treeseer]

on thier fecked up trees here, the race is on to try and save it, regardless.

Clearance is right in pointing out that every tree treatment should be considered on a cost/benefit basis. Here the cost is <$500 on a maple and a birch. If these trees grow well, pond's investment will yield a >$1500 contribution to his real estate value in five years, and that cash will go in his pocket if he sells..

there are other values besides economic, and clients also see these and seek to build on them. But I agree, if a tree is not viable, there's no need to throw $$$ at it. However, the client needs to understand his trees' condition beyond the level of fecked up vs. not fecked up, which sounds highly arbitrary and not very useful, before the right decision can be made.

 

[Stumper]

I have to say that I would advise removal on this one. I would also give other options. Cheap-cut down the injured fork. The tree is young enough /has sufficient dynamic mass that it will likely survive the drastic loss of leaf bearing wood and gradually fill in on the "bare" side The tree will need to be monitored for structural weakening due to the likely onset of decay at the large wound site.
More costly- Non-invasive dynamic cabling coupled with slight reduction and ongoing monitoring of the injured side. :angel:

 

[Ekka]

Frankly

If that's how the tree was from planting, bifarcation of the trunk, it should have been culled years ago.

A fork at that point could only mean trouble later. Nurserys that sell trees like that should learn what a good structure is and get rid of poor specimens like that one. Look for a good solid single trunk with good branch unions and structure .... that's the foundation to build on.

 

[treeseer]

The tree is young enough /has sufficient dynamic mass that it will likely survive the drastic loss of leaf bearing wood and gradually fill in on the "bare" side

Stumper, that's why we say it's worth keeping.

Ekka, many trees like river birch are trained to "clump", multitrunked form..We'd not be popular if we said to cut them all down. Besides, clump form is often seen in nature; single trunk is not the only viable tree form.

What would iit cost to remove the present tree and stump, purchase a similar species tree, replant it and maintain it until it provides the contribution of the original tree? That's what the present tree is worth.

 

[treeseer]

Dan you're presenting wha tsounds like a heading cut scenario; good on some trees but not on others. Birches rot so quick, that stump would be totally hollow, and all the sprouts weakly attached. I'd present instead a coppicing scenario, where the stump is cut to the base and the sprouts are trained.

Or is that what you are suggesting?

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

For those recommending removal, could you clarify if you are saying to remove just the damaged lead, or the whole tree?

If you are talking about the whole tree, might I suggest a thorough head examination?
If you are talking about removing just the lead, why not support it with a cable, if that is possible, and looking at the picture again, it may not be.
How about doing a crown reduction with the idea to remove the lead completely in stages, or both reduce and cable?
This would allow the tree to remain full looking during the whole process and eventually reach the goal of removing the lead.

 

[Trignog]

I like Mr. Ladue's point about rapid decay threatening the healthy stem. Seems like you"ll only get a few years at best before the majic of decay,disease,insects,and fungi spread to the healthy guy. Given all the info do whats best for the good stem.Nice lookin tree by the way.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

So Tri, you are strongly recommending complete removal?

You're not just talkig about the stem, you are suggesting that the decay will move down this stem and up the others, making them hazardous?

 

[treeseer]

I like Mr. Ladue's point about rapid decay threatening the healthy stem. Seems like you"ll only get a few years at best .

this is not correct. it may never hapen; the tree may well wall off --compartmentalize--the decay on the inside, between the trunks. What are your guesses about the whole tree rotting quickly based on?