To drop or not to drop

[ArtB]

Maybe soon to get annexed to a city that has a 6 tree per year max limit to cutting (unless, of course you are a developer who wants to put 32 taxpaying houses $600K houses on my 3.5 acres, then you can clearcut, etc.)

Anyway prefer to live out my days with a few nearby trees, but want to drop any safety threats.

Pix "thin' is DFir stand next to house, have already thinned, and will thin further.
Any good guidlines on density for 'best' wind resistance? To date have left everything over 8" DBH standing, but some spacings still only 5-6 feet apart. (Area was last logged in 1917). I'm 62, not as fit as RBtree and dont want to climb and limb, easier to drop, as am a 100%b DIY. May climb and trim if that is best option, and have done so in the past.

2nd pix (4507) is of what I consider a 'good' black cottonwood well away from the house, has not yet dropped any big branches. About 130 ft tall.

Trim 2 pix is of 2 black cottonwood within 100 ft of house, the nearer dropped its first 6" dia branch this summer, it's about 147 ft tall by transit measurement, little under 5 ft DBH - thinking of dropping this one for safety. Farther one in pix is only 25 ft from house, also about 140 some ft high, but only 4 ft DBH, and has not yet dropped any big branches.

I don't let the grandkids play under these due to drop danger. I dropped a 168 ft tall and another 140 some ft tall BC a couple of years agos as they were dropping a couple of 8" and larger branches every year. Someone on a previous thread thought I'd dropped a record setter at 168 ft, but have seen web sites with 200 ft BC described.

Mostly I'd like opinions and experience in windfall of DFir and density of stands, as the DF are closest to the house.

 

[omegajim]

You mean you'd actually want to cut down more than 6 of those in one year?

I think this is a good husband's argument "I would like to cut more, but dang it, the township says only six a year. It's April and I have the year's cutting all done. rats."

........or something like that.

They look big enough that any one of them falling the wrong way could make for a bad week.

 

[Shespen]

Drop them!

I would definately drop the two closest to the house. There isn't any such thing as a good cottonwood if it is within striking distance. Cottonwoods belong down by the river and not anywhere near houses. I can see in one of your pictures that one tree has a codominant lead or double trunk with a very sharp V shaped crotch. These type of crotches have a tendancy to fail because the bark of both leads extends down inside of the crotch. Each year the tree puts on another ring and increases the pressure inside that crotch until something gives. Just google "included Bark" if you want more info on that. Did you notice that the higher up you climb in a cottonwood the bigger the branches get? The hotter the temperature, the more water they suck up, the heavier the branches get, the more they break off.

The doug fir trees have relatively shallow roots and depend on each other for support so be careful about thinning them. Its hard to make a recommendation as I am not that familiar with the areas climate. How much wind do you get up there? Are the prevailing winds blowing the trees toward the house? Usually doug fir stands are thinned to increase wood volume for commercial purposes but not around houses because of wind fall on the leading edge. I'm not sure why you need to thin them. I would recommend that you carefully evaluate each tree for defects and disease and only remove those that are not safe. Look for conks stacked one above the other going up the tree or any other fungal fruiting bodies as they only grow on decayed wood and identify them. that will tell you alot about what is going on inside the tree. Also watch for Laminated root rot. It can be hard to detect, but it will bring the tree down without warning.
Lastly I would recomend planting a few other species of trees around the house for diversity. If you get a soil disease or bug infestation that wipes out the firs then what do you have? I'd recommend putting in a couple of gary oaks or big leaf maples or what ever suits your fancy.
Good luck with the project and don't spoil those Grandkids too much.

 

[treeseer]

I'm 62, not as fit as RBtree and dont want to climb and limb, easier to drop, as am a 100%b DIY. May climb and trim if that is best option, and have done so in the past. .

Then climb and limb, not just the low ones but reduce the heavy ends of the upper ones too. (Keep the spikes off of course or you may be causing more problems than you cure. If you cannot do that then you have no business diying)

Otherwise you are practicing forestry on a residential lot which is oxymoronic. Telling kids where or where not to walk sounds like an unreliable risk management strategy. It would be with mine! Take care of your trees and they will take care of you..