Limb Removal
- Thread starter JustRandy
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
JustRandy
ArboristSite Operative
Well it's already healed up 14 years later. I just updated the thread showing how it healed over 14 years. Are the new pics not showing up?
Are you seriously suggesting he reopen that wound after 14 years?
You deserve a trophy for the best follow up. It looks like the tree did pretty much take care of it how you left it, so must have been an OK choice.
JustRandy
ArboristSite Operative
I had been meaning to post updates throughout the years but never found the time n energy to put the ladder against the tree. But this year I hired an arborist to climb around cutting dead limbs out and I guess that gave me the kick in butt I needed.
I thought it'd be cool to show how the tree healed such a large wound over such a long period of time. Maybe it will give others confidence when cutting on their trees.
JustRandy
ArboristSite Operative
A guy retired from the forestry service suggested I put a roof over it, but after I did I can't tell if it's a good idea or not. On one hand it keeps the rain out but on the other it keeps the sun out.
I'd like to get some opinions on whether this is a good idea:
I'd like to get some opinions on whether this is a good idea:
I'll bet quite a bit he saw an updated thread and responded to the first post without reading the thread or noting the date.
I'm one of the original posters. It looks very good in my opinion.
Well done and thanks for the follow up.
That's what compartmentalization does: the tree walls off the cellular structure to damaged areas (when it is possible), and the tree continues to grow. Making bad cuts are a hindrance to compartmentalization, and can cause the early demise of your tree.
EXCELLENT follow up! I'm quite pleased to see your pictures. This thread was brought to my attention by another member in this thread, so that is at least two of us.
BTW: that tree isn't done sealing that wound, and I don't think it is likely to be done for another 5 years or so. I don't consider that a closed wound until the cambium is growing full width across the open area. That takes quite some time even after the bark has closed up enough to prevent water incursion.
EXCELLENT follow up! I'm quite pleased to see your pictures. This thread was brought to my attention by another member in this thread, so that is at least two of us.
BTW: that tree isn't done sealing that wound, and I don't think it is likely to be done for another 5 years or so. I don't consider that a closed wound until the cambium is growing full width across the open area. That takes quite some time even after the bark has closed up enough to prevent water incursion.
That's a bad idea. Too late now.
When you sink a metal attachment through the callus (bark area sealing the wound), you are injuring new growth and bypassing the compartmentalization that the tree has been growing for the last 14 years. Nothing may come of your action, but it is possible for you to have introduced an infection that will spread and grow.
I think the benefit of any hood is quite questionable at this point.
JustRandy
ArboristSite Operative
Thanks! Glad you guys are still around. I regret not taking more intermediate pics. I was meaning to post progress pics for years but just never got around to putting the ladder up and making a day of it.
JustRandy
ArboristSite Operative
I agree and haven't felt right about it since I did it. I'm not sure why. I guess I just don't feel it's natural. I'm interfering in something I don't understand.
The screws are very short 1 inch drywall screws and brand new (clean) and I didn't sink them all the way so it's possible they didn't fully penetrate the bark. I weighed the supposed pros and cons before doing it. But I've never been overly apprehensive about screws because I've never seen anything happen as a result. On the other side of the tree there is a light that's been screwed on since 2006. Also every year some insect bores a tunnel a couple inches in the tree causing a trail of dark gunk to ooze out for months. Seems like screws are the least of the tree's worries.
Honestly at this point I'm worried the tree is too healthy. Maybe it's putting on more growth than it can support. Is that something that's possible?
Nope.
That being said, "sucker" formation, also called "adventitious growth" is usually a sign of stress on the tree. Some species are infamous for it, however. I don't think I've ever seen a crabapple tree that doesn't grow suckers. Other species mostly never grow suckers unless they are under severe stress. Conifers don't grow suckers at all.
That being said, "sucker" formation, also called "adventitious growth" is usually a sign of stress on the tree. Some species are infamous for it, however. I don't think I've ever seen a crabapple tree that doesn't grow suckers. Other species mostly never grow suckers unless they are under severe stress. Conifers don't grow suckers at all.
JustRandy
ArboristSite Operative
Yeah my crabapple is a nightmare: the top refuses to survive and the bottom is a continuous stream of suckers for me to cut off. In my experience suckers seem to always be a sign of stress. I have a few suckers in my big willow oaks and I'm a little worried over it. The problem is the trees are shading out their own lower limbs causing them to die off which results in suckers forming elsewhere. That's my guess anyway.
A guy named Treeman over at arborday told me a long time ago that trees eventually get too big for their vascular mechanisms to support. Obviously some trees like sequoias are better adapted to fight gravity, but I think all trees have a maximum size.
So if my tree cannot grow taller due to gravity and it's shading out its own lower limbs then where is it expected to put on new growth? Hence the suckers I guess.
I'm a little worried one of my big trees is growing too vigorously and approaching its terminal size too quickly and leaving itself susceptible to storm damage. It's analogous to an obese human.
