Last May a nearby tree uprooted and fell onto a 30 ft tall shagbark hickory. The top of the hickory was almost touching the ground. After I removed the offending tree the following day, the hickory only had a few broken branches but only stood up about 45 degrees. It has recovered a little more since then, and is currently in the condition shown in the photo below. Is there anything I can do improve its odds of returning to normal? I can reach the entire tree with a pole pruner.
Bent hickory
- Thread starter wysiwyg
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Luztree
ArboristSite Operative
Come along the top straight and secure it straight with a metal pole and secure it straight. Leave it on for a year or too. Save that hickory
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^^^ That . But would have done it last May. Tree has been growing that way quite a while and will be taking a "set" .
^^^ That . But would have done it last May. Tree has been growing that way quite a while and will be taking a "set" .
Luztree
ArboristSite Operative
Understood, but hickory is not sassafras. It won’t break.
I bet if nothing is done that this hickory will grow new limbs where they should be and the old top will die off. In twenty years it will take Detective Dendro to ever tell that this happened.
This tree was bent by force and the force is gone so it ought to auto correct.
If this tree was growing this way due to shading from larger trees and those larger trees or tree is now gone, it would most likely auto correct.
A little pruning in a few years to keep the old bent top suppressed may be helpful.
Some treatments could easily be worse then doing nothing at all.
Retired Certified Arborist.
This tree was bent by force and the force is gone so it ought to auto correct.
If this tree was growing this way due to shading from larger trees and those larger trees or tree is now gone, it would most likely auto correct.
A little pruning in a few years to keep the old bent top suppressed may be helpful.
Some treatments could easily be worse then doing nothing at all.
Retired Certified Arborist.
Luztree
ArboristSite Operative
If nothing is done ,in 20 years it will be a curved “s”
Thanks for the replies. I took a close up photo of the impact area, it appears there is more damage than I thought. The tree retained it's leaves above the wound all summer, so I took the wait and see route. Does this change anyone's opinion? I was thinking of topping it below the wound.
