Big white oak I was in 3 hrs (bliss!) yesterday cleaning and pruning to clear house and magnolia nearby. pic #1 is a fairly recent-looking crack--from Isabel in 03?-- in a vertical lead above and below the fork of a side limb that goes over the house. Similar crack across from it on other side.
Bracing would have been an option, and I guess if I looked hard enough I could've found a cabling angle too. I went with reducing end weight on the side limb-a lot- and the vertical-a little. Pic #2 shows a typical location for a reduction cut, removing the sprawling downward part and making the upright part the new end. (thanks ekka or whoever for sizing brightening and line-drawing. Pretty presumptuous of me I know, but there ya go!
IMO the upright grew in vitality in response to the movement of the sprawling part. Cutting to that upright seems to anticipate nature, in that the sprawling part was prone to breakage. note change in taper. It also leaves a lot of leaves that are growing toward the sun, so while loss of biomass is significant, loss of photosynthetic potential may not be so much. THis portion of the tree was not greatly missed, as it cleared the roof extra, and put some sun on the windows and the foundation plantings.
Pic #3 shows the clearance of the tree from the house; pretty radical-looing, but I always look not at the present appearance but how it will be after some regrowth. Client liked the look, even without that explanation. Sorry for lack of before pic. Midsummer seems to be a good time for this work since the trees have made most of their food for the year. Whaddya think?
see treeco's post below for smaller pics
Bracing would have been an option, and I guess if I looked hard enough I could've found a cabling angle too. I went with reducing end weight on the side limb-a lot- and the vertical-a little. Pic #2 shows a typical location for a reduction cut, removing the sprawling downward part and making the upright part the new end. (thanks ekka or whoever for sizing brightening and line-drawing. Pretty presumptuous of me I know, but there ya go!
IMO the upright grew in vitality in response to the movement of the sprawling part. Cutting to that upright seems to anticipate nature, in that the sprawling part was prone to breakage. note change in taper. It also leaves a lot of leaves that are growing toward the sun, so while loss of biomass is significant, loss of photosynthetic potential may not be so much. THis portion of the tree was not greatly missed, as it cleared the roof extra, and put some sun on the windows and the foundation plantings.
Pic #3 shows the clearance of the tree from the house; pretty radical-looing, but I always look not at the present appearance but how it will be after some regrowth. Client liked the look, even without that explanation. Sorry for lack of before pic. Midsummer seems to be a good time for this work since the trees have made most of their food for the year. Whaddya think?
see treeco's post below for smaller pics
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