Saving a fallen Monkey Puzzle tree?

[Gustav Meyer]

Hi! We have a big monkey puzzle tree in our garden that was uprooted during the hurricane that hit Norway yesterday. It's about 50-55 feet tall. I'm really hoping it's possible to right it, and secure it somehow as it is a very rare tree in Norway, and it was planted by my grandfather 82 years ago. When it fell all the roots and dirt came with it down to bedrock, so I'm hoping damage and the roots might no be to bad.

 

[bigbadbob]

Cant help you, I think I would try and stand it up, nothing to loose.
I planted one when my daughter was born (on the coast), new owner of my house cut it down, was about 10ft tall, they are expensive that size here that was sad..
Good Luck
BBB

 

[Raintree]

I would have guessed that tree is about 25-30ft tall & maybe 20-30 years old. It can be righted & guided, however with shallow wet soils & the size potential of a monkey puzzle tree this may not be best.

 

[Gustav Meyer]

It's definitely taller and older my grandfather planted it in 1933, and it's as tall as a 4 storey house. My plan now, depending on cost is to right it with a crane and anchor it to bedrock with guywires. Just need to convince the insurance company that's cheaper than to remove it

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Sorry to say, there is no way you're going to get an insurance company to pay to stand that tree up. Not only will it cost much more than removal, but why would they risk having it blow over again? Sorry for your loss, but odds if survival if stood back up are very slim. If it couldn't build a strong enough root system in eighty years, What makes you think it will repair itself now, even if it does survive the stress, which is highly unlikely.

 

[ArtB]

right it with a crane and anchor it to bedrock with guywires
It is worth a try. We have a MP in our yard we planted about 40 years ago, only about 35 ft tall, pretty hardy tree.

If ours blew over, I'm sure we would try to salvage it. In USA, insurance company would maybe not even pay to remove it unless it hit a structure let alone attempt to right it. No idea how Norway ins. companies work. That size tree in my own yard, I'd probably lift it with my front loader, get the loader under it with some rubbing boards against the trunk, and push it up (since I have a couple of loaders but do not have a crane - crane would make it easy but maybe costly?) Get your cables anchored before anything else. Do you have another tree nearby to use as a 'crane' ?

The root structure looks to be pretty well intact. If there is bedrock only a few feet down you may be able to drill into it for some pretty good anchors with galv steel cable -- it is worth a try, especially since it is the middle of the dormant season. Since you have such a shallow top soil, I'd consider pruning the tree, even topping it (gasp, choke, gag - something I normally abhor!) before righting it.

I transplanted our MP tree about 15 years ago as it was crowding the house when it was about 15 ft tall and in shade of D Fir. Scooped the root ball out with a front loader and dropped into another hole, it has done better since it was moved out of shade.