Arborists, advise me on what to do with this Flowering Dogwood Tree. (lots of pix)

[treeclimber101]

one limb sprawls a lot with no good laterals visible so consider removing it.

reduce another sprawler, then small thinning/reduction cuts where the sprouts are thick.


Your tree had decades of neglect, and then catastrophic damage, so don't expect it to look good again tomorrow.

There was liberal disregard for the tree's structural needs, maybe from being conservative with money by not calling an arborist in sooner. now the tree needs a liberal reshaping and its longterm prognosis is poor.

o and i read p 496 and it's clear that ants are the least of this tree's problems

oh good you have the book too bad this tree isn't a dogwood ooppps

 

[treevet]

That is a typical scenario of an ornamental pear. It is approx 20 years old and an average life span is around 25 years. They get an over loaded canopy that the wood does not have enough strength to support. Then they fall apart or blow apart, or snow or ice, etc...... These are engineered trees. Nothing is natural about them.

Whatever happened this has already come apart in the first stage (big wound) and the next stage involves the weakened, eventually decayed, torn off flex point falling off again in wind or canopy over loading. At that point it is a stump.

This tree is at the end of the line but no apparent target, so why not just let it run its course? All those red marks equal "topping" no matter what flowery language one uses.

These trees are banned from planting in cities throughout my area including mine.

 

[(WLL)]

oh good you have the book too bad this tree isn't a dogwood ooppps

ants do not destroy trees.

 

[treeclimber101]

That is a typical scenario of an ornamental pear. It is approx 20 years old and an average life span is around 25 years. They get an over loaded canopy that the wood does not have enough strength to support. Then they fall apart or blow apart, or snow or ice, etc...... These are engineered trees. Nothing is natural about them.

Whatever happened this has already come apart in the first stage (big wound) and the next stage involves the weakened, eventually decayed, torn off flex point falling off again in wind or canopy over loading. At that point it is a stump.

This tree is at the end of the line but no apparent target, so why not just let it run its course? All those red marks equal "topping" no matter what flowery language one uses.

These trees are banned from planting in cities throughout my area including mine.

wow nicely put

 

[treevet]

wow nicely put

Hey...thanks

 

[treevet]

ants do not destroy trees.

That is a correct statement.

 

[treeclimber101]

ants do not destroy trees.

read the book learn before you speak they create galleries inside the tree removing chips between the annual rings weakening the xylem is that good for the tree :hmm3grin2orange:why don't you start a thread about it that worked out for you last time you mangaed to controdict yourself like four times 'if your gonna trash talk me in nj .

 

[treevet]

tell us what you know

Ants follow the CODIT patterns with their galleries. They stay within the compartments of decay that are first infected by microorganisms. Ants live in these areas they do not feed there.. Ants clean the compartments and thus regulate the spread of decay.

In this regard ants are actually beneficial to the tree in containing the spread of decay and keeping the tree from falling over.

 

[(WLL)]

Ants follow the CODIT patterns with their galleries. They stay within the compartments of decay that are first infected by microorganisms. Ants live in these areas they do not feed there.. Ants clean the compartments and thus regulate the spread of decay.

In this regard ants are actually beneficial to the tree in containing the spread of decay and keeping the tree from falling over.

thank you, ants also do other good things for the trees aswell

 

[treevet]

thank you, ants also do other good things for the trees aswell

anytime.... also Thanks to the "Father of Modern Arboriculture" (see below) for doing all the legwork on info like that.

 

[(WLL)]

hopefully one day you'll stop critizing and learn to network i like to be corrected if not i would be nothing but a know it all

same here. i honestly know very little about trees

 

[treeclimber101]

thank you, ants also do other good things for the trees aswell

yea , thank you thats all you have to say no input other than thank you and your certified come on

 

[treevet]

yea , thank you thats all you have to say no input other than thank you and your certified come on

Where's Glendora in Jersey, I am an old Jersey guy myself?

 

[(WLL)]

anytime.... also Thanks to the "Father of Modern Arboriculture" (see below) for doing all the legwork on info like that.

i have hung out with the father while visiting with a client of mine who i call Mr bonsai. i was involved in an argument about flush cutting bonsai trees. its a crying shame what happened to him. he is deeply missed and no man will ever fill his shoes. he was a great man

 

[treeclimber101]

Where's Glendora in Jersey, I am an old Jersey guy myself?

were 15 min from philly and an hr from a.c.

 

[treevet]

i have hung out with the father while visiting with a client of mine who i call Mr bonsai. i was involved in an argument about flush cutting bonsai trees. its a crying shame what happened to him. he is deeply missed and no man will ever fill his shoes. he was a great man

Well said.

 

[treevet]

were 15 min from philly and an hr from a.c.

I had a biz in Flemington for ten years before becoming a city slicker. Way north of you I guess.

 

[(WLL)]

flemington , ten yrs. and your 28 that must have been pretty recent i'm sorry if something bad happened with that i don't like to see people lose at this game and if you want i'll have my wife punch me in the face she'll take great pleasure in that

im not from flemmington. that was where treevet used to be

 

[treeseer]

These are engineered trees. Nothing is natural about them.

No idea what this means, Dave. All selected or hybridized or grafted trees are "engineered" to some extent.

This tree is at the end of the line but no apparent target, so why not just let it run its course?

Because arborists' job is to extend the useful life of trees, and it is the owner who posted and his interests are the same.

All those red marks equal "topping" no matter what flowery language one uses.

there are no flowers in the word "reduction"--read ansi and the bmp's. Making branches shorter can be very good tree care--read Shigo ANTB p 458, NTBD p 114.

O and re ants, yes carpenter ants cut into living wood. Sinclair/Lyon is not bs. The Shigo quotes are not specifically referenced and do not seem to be talking about carpenter ants but other ants.

 

[Dadatwins]

I would agree with Treeseer that the tree can be reduced in the short term to get a few more years out it. I would have to see it on site to get an idea of where to cut it generally 1/3 reduction to something upright. I would also advise planting another one close by as a replacement. They grow quickly.