can you save this old giant???????

[budroe69moni]

hey boys,
i met a customer on a 4 acres lot that would like some tree work
done......... tons of trees but the main focus was on 2 big ol' live oaks smak dab in the middle of the property. after inspecting the lives the customer asked me if i wanted to see something.....i said sure. she walked me to the back of the property which is bordered by a canal. lying on the ground was a giant laurel oak, one of the biggest i've ever seen. the trunk was at about a 30 degree angle and was propped up by 2 branches that were at least 24" each. the w/ all of the rain that we had a month ago, it came down i a thunder storm. the thing is, it doesn't have any dead leaves much less branches on it!!! there's actually new growth popping out all over the place!!!! question is........
can this trees survive while lying on it's side??????? what do
you think??????
budroe

 

[greenguy]

Why not if roots are not damage badly and foilage it not dieing out. I have seen some really strange trees. One of my clients has a japanese water oak. The oak is about 48" or more with 4" japanese maple branches sticking out of the trunk.

 

[Gopher]

It sounds to me that there is plenty of room for the giant, so I would like to believe that it would be worth saving. I think the more "creative preservation" we can do, the better the arboriculture field will be respected.

If there are some structural issues to be addressed, these should be looked at with safety in mind. Can the soil be adjusted to accomodate the rearranged root mass?

Keep us posted as to what transpires. Maybe a before, during and after shot?

Gopher

 

[treeclimber165]

I used to pass by an old oak in a cow pasture for years, it got blown over probably 20 years ago or more. Roots sticking up in the air on one side, it was still alive when it got bulldozed for the expressway. Now there's 6 lanes of blacktop (with tolls) going to Disney.
Anyway, if it's going to live then it will live. Minimize trimming for a few years, just broken and dead limbs. Let the tree decide what it's going to do.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

One of the speakers at the ISA conference talked about the life of old growth. Trees have a half life when they are standing and the other half when they sould be allowed to moulder back into soil and elements.

If the tree can be left, leave it as a monument to itself.

Tom

 

[geofore]

oak

Sometimes the branches touching the ground will set their own roots. You can cheat by forcing them to set roots with a little root grow. A greenhouse owner can show you some tricks here to force the roots. It sounds like you need someone well versed in rooting stock to help you with this one. When I was a kid we used to bend trees over and bury the top so it would set roots. You end up with some bow shaped trees that are pretty strange looking but they continue to grow. Indians used to do this to mark good hunting trails. There was one such tree out in Ohio when I was a kid.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

"If the tree can be left, leave it as a monument to itself."
-Tom Dunlap

Very Nice Tom, and perhaps an awesome monument to all life, and surviving lifeforce striving to live and give.

At least i am picturing something not a hazard, away from structures, people. Laurel Oaks as i know them can be real fighters/sprouters.

Perhaps Mycorrhizal Fungi ground innoculation could help to extend root capacity for food gathering. Due to present shocked condition, wouldn't trim/disturb for a while, especially resting on sturdy legs. Consideration may be given if extreme cantilevered raised branch was massively torquing/raised and perhaps could cause roll/further root tearing. Rather than cutting that might consider chocking 'roll to' side to guard against that, or tieing that branch back perpendicular to trunk against limbs pull/trunk roll. Only to let it live though!

 

[budroe69moni]

gohper,
great idea.... i'll take my digital camera over there tommorrow and get some shots!!!!!! it's amazing!!!!!
i'll have to inspect the tree for structural damage and see if any bracing needs to be done. my customer definetly wants to save the tree!!!! i think w/ everyones help and expertise we can save this old oak!!!!!
budroe