I'm Taking this Tree Down

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Looks like the OP is outvoted here. I think I'll agree that it looks like a rather ugly tree (I've certainly seen prettier) but thenagain, it probably looks much better with the leaves on. Still, I'd hate to cut a tree just because it's ugly.

I've got a Persimmon tree that I'd love to cut, even though it's healthy. It's fairly ughy, but that thing also makes a terrible mess with the persimmons. I've also got a huge Gumball tree on a rental property. I hate those gumballs, but this tree is huge and healthy, surrounded by wires, and is the only tree on that property. I'll probably limb it up a bit to clean it up and reduce the gumballs.
 
I'd let the old girl keep standing and cull the junk around it for many reasons.

It's not sick. Just showing the healthy drive to gain light, and shedding parasitic mass. Prune that dead crap off and give her a hand whoopin up on those weeds around it.

It's likely to also be dropping mast with genetics that are favorable to that stand. Clean out those nasty invaders in her breeding ground, and let her youngin's take over, insead of bringing in starts that are not as adapted to that ground.

What's the hurry? Put the thing on assisted probation for 2 years.
Clean up around it so it can get some light, prune the dead lower branches.
If there isn't new growth started in 2 years, then think about losing it.
The timber value isn't there now and the firewood value will still be in 2 years.

All the same, it's your property, and sometimes ya just gotta do what seems to be the right thing. Be safe about it and post pics of the take down if ya do.

You're in for a flush of scrub as soon as she's gone though...;)
Might as well clean things up in the meantime and get ahead of the game.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote
 
dingeryote said:
I'd let the old girl keep standing and cull the junk around it for many reasons.

It's not sick. Just showing the healthy drive to gain light, and shedding parasitic mass. Prune that dead crap off and give her a hand whoopin up on those weeds around it.

It's likely to also be dropping mast with genetics that are favorable to that stand. Clean out those nasty invaders in her breeding ground, and let her youngin's take over, insead of bringing in starts that are not as adapted to that ground.

What's the hurry? Put the thing on assisted probation for 2 years.
Clean up around it so it can get some light, prune the dead lower branches.
If there isn't new growth started in 2 years, then think about losing it.
The timber value isn't there now and the firewood value will still be in 2 years.

All the same, it's your property, and sometimes ya just gotta do what seems to be the right thing. Be safe about it and post pics of the take down if ya do.

You're in for a flush of scrub as soon as she's gone though...;)
Might as well clean things up in the meantime and get ahead of the game.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote
Click to expand...

As usual Dingeryote your comments are excellent!
But alas I believe he wants it to look as stupid like this. The real charakter of your area will be lost!

after:

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before:

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7
 
Just saw this post. I agree keep it. That tree is hardly on it's downward side of life. Clean it up, clean up around it and enjoy it. That is by far the best looking tree in the picture.
 
Hope, you and neighbor are happy with all that two face cords of firewood. Hey, maybe that could be a new poll/ thread how many ricks?
 
I agree with everybody else. No question the best looking tree in the photo. It has dignity, a sort of, well, sculptural appearance. It tells a story.
 
TreeCo said:
It looks like the only dead limbs are lower limbs that the tree is shedding due to lack of light to it's lower canopy. Perfectly normal. Your management goal of 'increasing the number of oaks' is questionable especially if it is what is driving you to remove this tree.
Click to expand...

Well said. No reason for that tree to come down.
 
Curlycherry1 said:
Garbage tree, cut it down and let some decent lumber producing trees grow.
Click to expand...

Decent lumber trees? You won't ever see them come down! If you plant them now it will take at least 50 years for softwood and for hardwood at least 100 years to have a very nice lumber tree! Your grandchildren will take them down. Who knows if it will still be in your family.

Personally I let my children & (hopeful someday) grandchildren enjoy the mysteriousness & spookiness of old trees on my property.


7
 
It's kinda funny. I just saw this post(on vacation in MB) & when I read it/saw the pic of the oak, my first thought was..."wow what a beautifull tree". My place(100ac) was logged in the late 90's....they took every damn oak over 12 inches(bas-tages). Just in the last couple of years am I seeing any acorns of any quanity. So, I envy big old oaks & the more knarly & twisted the better....it's personality.
Anyway, it's your tree/forest....and if you see fit to cut it, go for it. Beauty is a personal thing, but you might want to step back & think about it. Once you cut something that is 2-3 times older than you are it is a permanent decision.

RD
 
7sleeper said:
Decent lumber trees? You won't ever see them come down! If you plant them now it will take at least 50 years for softwood and for hardwood at least 100 years to have a very nice lumber tree! Your grandchildren will take them down. Who knows if it will still be in your family.
Click to expand...

That's true, but there are usually plenty of big old trees around in places where they can't be taken down that people can love. And as for the landowner being around to see good value trees be harvested, that is also true. But well maintained N.American hardwood forests can be real money makers if managed properly.

I worked on a kid's camp that had been managed for timber for something like 80 years. Every year ~300+ kids got to spend some of their summer at that camp all due to the lumber that was selectively harvested every year from various sections of the 1100 acres under management. It took a long time to establish those lands but they were on a perfect 10 year cycle of selective harvesting that kept them going. I cut a few hundred sugar maples off some of that land and people had a fit about it at the time. They were big, old and many were dying due to interior rot. Now 30+ years later there are big hard maples that have taken over that same area that are getting harvested. They were ~12" DBH back then, and now they are very decent sized. I heard that over 50% of the trees growing in that area are of veneer quality because of how well they were managed over the decades. I am not sure if that is true, but when I cut those big old sugar maples the stuff that was left was upwards of 20-30' before the first branches, and every one of them was striaght as an arrow. If they were crooked, they came down.

Finally around here oak is a dime a dozen as a lumber. It is one of the cheapest lumbers I can buy at ~$1.50/bd ft. It has always been that way. A friend and I are clearing land for his house and we have sliced up about 5000+ bd ft of red oak logs that could probably be made into lumber, but with the price as low as it is, I can go to my local lumber yard and get all that I want, and every stick of it will be clear and straight.
 
Curlycherry1 said:
That's true, but there are usually plenty of big old trees around in places where they can't be taken down that people can love. And as for the landowner being around to see good value trees be harvested, that is also true. But well maintained N.American hardwood forests can be real money makers if managed properly.

I worked on a kid's camp that had been managed for timber for something like 80 years. Every year ~300+ kids got to spend some of their summer at that camp all due to the lumber that was selectively harvested every year from various sections of the 1100 acres under management. It took a long time to establish those lands but they were on a perfect 10 year cycle of selective harvesting that kept them going. I cut a few hundred sugar maples off some of that land and people had a fit about it at the time. They were big, old and many were dying due to interior rot. Now 30+ years later there are big hard maples that have taken over that same area that are getting harvested. They were ~12" DBH back then, and now they are very decent sized. I heard that over 50% of the trees growing in that area are of veneer quality because of how well they were managed over the decades. I am not sure if that is true, but when I cut those big old sugar maples the stuff that was left was upwards of 20-30' before the first branches, and every one of them was striaght as an arrow. If they were crooked, they came down.

Finally around here oak is a dime a dozen as a lumber. It is one of the cheapest lumbers I can buy at ~$1.50/bd ft. It has always been that way. A friend and I are clearing land for his house and we have sliced up about 5000+ bd ft of red oak logs that could probably be made into lumber, but with the price as low as it is, I can go to my local lumber yard and get all that I want, and every stick of it will be clear and straight.
Click to expand...

You are absolutely correct about lumber management and achieving great products. For me I didn't have the impression that the OP was interested in intensive lumber management at all. I had the impression the the fellow bought the land and wanted to improve on it and not make a business out of it.
Here in the alpine regions in Austria oak belongs to the rarer trees. There are other regions in Austria where oak is more popular but for business most plant beech, maple, pine, larch or spruce and recently locust is gaining because of it's natural properties of withstanding rotting. You get in 80 years with beech what you get in 150 years with oak.
It is very interesting for me to see the different argumentation oriented from different enviromental areas.

7
 
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