# Will trimming one side cause a tree to become structurally unstable?



## NebClimber (May 17, 2004)

Client has a large cottonwood that has had many limbs taken off E side in the past. Now he wants the final large limb on the E side removed. It overhangs the neighbor's house. The W side has many large limbs. Will taking the last E limb cause this tree to potentially fail due to imbalance of weight.

The tree structurally very sound.

I have no pics. This is a huge cottonwood, and very stable looking. Trunk has no visible or audible defects.


Steven


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## Newfie (May 17, 2004)

It'll probably make it look stupid.


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## Ax-man (May 17, 2004)

Utilities frequently flat side trees to get the clearance they need, from your post this sounds like the type of pruning that has been employed in the past and is going to happen again. If you feel confident the tree is ok structurally, the tree will probably be ok, but without pics it is really hard to make some kind of judgement call.

When you remove large scaffold limbs such as your describing, you are predisposing a tree to a slow death, especially if these large limbs are taken back to the main stem.

Is there a alternative, such as taking some smaller limbs to 
" lighten the load " so to speak, instead of taking one big major limb.

Even the lowly Cottonwood has it's limits as to how much wounding it can withstand.

Larry


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## Guy Meilleur (May 17, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Ax-man _
> * Is there a alternative, such as taking some smaller limbs to
> " lighten the load " so to speak, instead of taking one big major limb.
> *


Larry's right on it; find some vigorous upright or lateral to be the new end and avoid at all costs that big wound on the trunk. You must remember seeing the same principle at work in some of our NC trees; different scale and texture maybe but same idea.

Often when a customer says they need that big limb away from over the house, they will easily see that reducing that limb instead of removing it accomplished the goal and allayed their concern. If there's any doubt I tell them I will take the whole limb off if they cannot see that lightening it did the job.

And if one is ever blind enough to call me on it (fortunately no one has), I'll tell em it's on the schedule first chance I get.


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## NeTree (May 17, 2004)

Sounds like the neighbor has his/her head stuck in their rectum.

Guy, don't ya just love it when you can keep the peace between the tree and the homeowner?


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## NebClimber (May 18, 2004)

I've already discussed reducing end-weight on this limb. Client wants it gone. 

What I would like to do - and think I could sell - is reducing the limb back to a lateral. Only problem is that the tree is so big once you take everything off that is over the house you are left with 30' of pure limb w/o any laterals. Thus, it would seem it would have to be cut back to the trunk.

Can I try to find some adventicious (sp?) or latent buds along the limb? My research says on older trees the latent buds that might be found really won't be vigorous. So all I'd really have left the client is a great big stub.

Guy (and others) any advice aside from simply reducing end-weight?

On another note, Guy, what value did you place on those 7 sugar maples and how did you support this value?

Steven


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## Kneejerk Bombas (May 18, 2004)

What needs to be done is to remove all the limbs from the other side, to balance things out.

Seriously, Brian speaks the truth. I like his thinking that this is just a staged or incremental removal. It makes it easier to live with yourself when the situation forces you to overtrim.


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## a_lopa (May 18, 2004)

if some one is adimit that they want there tree cut in half or sided you can only tell them what you know, and try to educate them a bit. at the end of the day you got to eat.and there not my trees


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## murphy4trees (May 18, 2004)

I've seen sun scald burn up the bark on some otherwise beautiful sugar maples after the line clearance crew hit them hard... they were on the north side of an East-West road, so the limbs removed were all on the south side of the tree... My guess is the work was done in early or mid summer..
It didn't take long for the decay to set in and necessitate removal.


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## NeTree (May 18, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Mike Maas _
> *What needs to be done is to remove all the limbs from the other side, to balance things out.
> 
> Seriously, Brian speaks the truth. I like his thinking that this is just a staged or incremental removal. It makes it easier to live with yourself when the situation forces you to overtrim. *




Sadly, yes- correct.


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## TheTreeSpyder (May 18, 2004)

i think the central truth is, you cannot really touch anything in any interwoven 3 dimensional balance, and not alter the said balance. Especially when the balance runs beyond just issues of mechanical balance in the system.

That trees grow slow, but maximizing all the time; weight and leverage pull on one side, creates strength on the other, the 2 stabilize everything pulling in opposite directions to lock.

If a tree leans, it strengthens in response; wind blows to direction of lean, can exercise more, blow across, exercise 1 side of a branches support, while the other rests, both working their dynamic flexability to counter the real foe-dynamic loading; every second of every day. Doing what Nature deems as maximum, all the time.

So you have to take minimal, and make sure you really address the issue that is theoretically the problem,and make sure their is yield towards solution, worth throwing off natural order.

So mostly, you are not doing things in a rush to help the tree, but rather to accomadate your own sense of order. a people thing, not a tree thing.

So, i agree with all of the rest of the Good Guy's!
:alien:


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## TheTreeSpyder (May 18, 2004)

i have my own questions though; not that the previous was much of an answer. In fact, to a certain amount, in sat-ire; i mighta Maased; Maas on something i've learned new respect about from him (besides Maassing wit'him).

If we knew the limbs that had been taken off over the roof were coming off overtime.

Thee Lady of the household let it be known, that in 5 years; there was to be a tall chimney there, to really test the air conditioning in the summer. You knew this would happen, you would keep the shade on your shop. 5 years in this case, prolly means 3.2 years.

Would you cut the limbs now, and not let the tree waste resources feeding them, get it over with at first/best/cheapest oppurtunity.

Do it over time, to let the tree adjsut incrementally in sun, food, and mechanical balance.

Take them off at last minute.


Okay, the tree is really her tree, and you planted it where she never wanted it, and in fact promised to cut it down in rage of that being thrown in your face 6 years ago; and weasled out.

Okay, somehow you know if it doesn't happen right at midnight 3.2 years from now, her mother will move in and it will happen in 3.2 years plus 5 daze with complete prejudice from the ground.

Okay, it is a beautiful house, that her grandmother left to her, so ya can't throw her out.

What is best; is it serial wounding or buffering tree adjsutment to increment?


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## NebClimber (May 19, 2004)

TreeSpyder:

Sometimes I just have no idea what you are talking about. 

But keep it up anyway, and I'll try to catch on.

Steven


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## Stumper (May 19, 2004)

Neb, Spydy is pretty smart but he has difficulty functioning within the contraints of standard English. 
Oh what a tangled web he weaves ,
whene'er he shares what he believes.


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## Kneejerk Bombas (May 19, 2004)

LOL!


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## ROLLACOSTA (May 20, 2004)

> _Originally posted by RockyJSquirrel _
> *More and more often I am seeing clients who simply hate their tree but won't admit it. *




i see these pathetic people almost daily ..they ask for some stupid action to be carried out on there tree ..i say you realise this will kill it ..they say oh no i dont want to kill the tree ..so i suggest some other alternative they um and arr and say no we want what we want and if it kills the tree it will be a shame but but but......well then i say i'll f*** your tree up then if thats what you want to pay for  who am i i'm just a humble wood cutter


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## Guy Meilleur (May 20, 2004)

> _Originally posted by ROLLACOSTA _
> * the situation forces you to overtrim. who am i i'm just a humble wood cutter There is no reasoning with this type of client, regardless of what Guy might blather. *


Well here's more blather (wulkie's favorite word--I'm so honored, Rodenta!)---You're all 3 copping out!:alien: 

The arborist is part of the situation and not forced to do anything. erik you know better than that.You don't have to eat that badly--most folks can go at least a week without food. (I went 11 days once; got high as a kite...on air and water.) 

If all you want to be is a humble tree cutter, RC that's your choice. Where there is no easy reasoning, just prune the limb the way it should be and get out of the tree. Rocky you don't have to take all the orders that they give you.

Neb what about a CABLE?


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