Split Tree Question - Another Tree Hugger

[TBeerski]

Hi all. I have attached 5 pics showing a maple we have on our property. A few quick notes:
1) As you can see in the photos the tree has two trunks.
2) The left side is branched and split at the crotch.
3) A minor split has been there for years...and was successfully held together with two nylon web loading straps.
4) Recently the straps failed and the tree is now wide open at the crotch.

a) Is there anyway to save both split sides (left of left &r right of left in phots) with bolts or cables?
b) If not, can I save the one of the split side (right of left) bolts or cables?
c) In not, can I save the "good branched right trunk" and brace it with whats remaining of the "branched left trunk" of the now cutback back below the split.

Can you tell...I am trying to save something of the tree so as not to lose the skyline value? Yes, I have had too much coffee.

Thanks for reading this far. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Is this a silver maple? If you don't know, can we get a good photo of the leaves?
You never want to wrap something around limbs to prevent splitting. As you can see, the tree is trying to grow around what looks like ropes - are these the straps you mentioned?
Hopefully someone with more knowledge will chime in.

 

[Del_]

That whole tree needs to be removed. It's not fair or right to leave a tree in such poor condition along a property line.

 

[The Singing Arborist]

I agree with Del. There is no good long term scenario for this tree. Rot has been working its way in the crack for years now. It's been girdled by the strap holding it together which will send the tree into decline eventually. This tree will not add value to your property. It is a current liability and will get worse the longer it stays there. Sorry for the bad news.

 

[TBeerski]

I agree with Del. There is no good long term scenario for this tree. Rot has been working its way in the crack for years now. It's been girdled by the strap holding it together which will send the tree into decline eventually. This tree will not add value to your property. It is a current liability and will get worse the longer it stays there. Sorry for the bad news.

That whole tree needs to be removed. It's not fair or right to leave a tree in such poor condition along a property line.

Is this a silver maple? If you don't know, can we get a good photo of the leaves?
You never want to wrap something around limbs to prevent splitting. As you can see, the tree is trying to grow around what looks like ropes - are these the straps you mentioned?
Hopefully someone with more knowledge will chime in.

To All,
Thanks for the quick response. I absolutely understand your concern. I am working to move quickly on this.
The ropes are just a temporary fix over the last few days. I had two really strong shipping straps holding together the twin trunks shown successfully for many years. The split was minor then. Despite the slow evolving girdling of those trunks the tree has remained visibly viable. I had hoped the trunks would have grown together. I do understand the eventual problem. I should have moved to have it rodded early on. I can see where rotting has become a big problem. Dumb homeowner.
I would like to try to save the entire right-side main trunk. I attached a few pics to show a closeup of the base. You can see it is very solid and actually very straight In understand I may be able to take the entire damaged side down to the base. Would this be possible? I have had a number of opinions suggesting it should be OK...but you are the expert. The tree will not be perfect looking, but having the skyline is worth something for now. It gives us some sense of privacy from the bike path which is about 15 foot from our deck. What do you think?

 

[buzz sawyer]

Any time you cut a limb that large, it is unlikely the tree will ever compartmentalize the wound and you will get rot down into the main stem and cause problems later when the tree is larger and will cost more to remove.

 

[The Singing Arborist]

It might be tough for us to tell you how bad this tree is from the pictures. This one doesn't look too bad right now from the pictures. Fast forward 5-10 years and it could have some larger problems. This tree may even have some concealed rot where those trunks meet. Those two trunks will never fuse their wood.

It may be best to contact a local arborist who can inspect these trees and help you get a plan in place to balance safety, privacy, and appearance.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

So, is that tree at the very edge of your property? And, is that a public bike path on the other side of that rail fence?
If so, from one Treehugger to another, take the advice of the experts and get rid of it before it drops a limb on someones head, or worse, and replace with something else that will give you real privacy.

 

[Marine5068]

You should get an Arborist's opinion, but what we see here is that tree will become a real problem in the near future.
It looks like it split while growing as a very young sapling and was never separated and groomed into one trunk.
I've cut down lots of of trees with same issue in the past.
They usually fail in a wind or snow storm or become a potential danger around populated areas.
Best thing would be to take the whole tree down now before it becomes a larger danger and costs more money.
That's an easy drop right now.

 

[TBeerski]

You should get an Arborist's opinion, but what we see here is that tree will become a real problem in the near future.
It looks like it split while growing as a very young sapling and was never separated and groomed into one trunk.
I've cut down lots of of trees with same issue in the past.
They usually fail in a wind or snow storm or become a potential danger around populated areas.
Best thing would be to take the whole tree down now before it becomes a larger danger and costs more money.
That's an easy drop right now.

Thanks for the recommendation. The left side main trunk branch has been removed and we left the right side in place. Everything below split has been removed. Anything threatening the public bike path is gone. The canopy of the remaining trunk has been thinned quite a bit. Two local arborists felt the base of the main right branch is extremely solid and is ok to leave it. Of course, I am going to keep a close eye on it and will remove the rest of the tree if it degrades. I told the tree company they may be back. This tree has weathered (no pun intended) significant wind events over the years and withstood those very well. Again, I will monitor closely.