I just moved to OK from way north (where we don’t have oak trees). The land I bought was very uncared for. This oak was absolutely engulfed in vines (more on one side) with a bunch of broken branches. I might have made a mistake, but I tried cutting some branches back… a lot of them have holes in the center or blackish rings. Is this tree dead or how might I determine this? Anything I can do to save her?
Not sure if this tree is alive
- Thread starter kiraz
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Any live material removed likely shortens the life of this tree and there looks to be lots of live wood in that pile of brush. The exception would be live limb reduction to reduce loads on compromised limbs or limbs with excessive growth that increases wind and snow loading.
It takes years sometimes decades to turn a tree from declining to maintaining it's status quo and then to being in good health again with a good future. Chainsaws are almost never to the benefit to the tree nor are most tree owners!
Removing the vines was a good move but we would have to see more of the limbs you removed to tell if you've done the tree good, or done the tree bad.
The good news is that this tree looks to present no hazards to persons or property. Hence limbs and wood can be left on the tree Vs. let say a tree over a playground, etc.
Welcome to the site!
Thank you so much for this advice. Is it normal to be able to pull on an oak branch and it easily breaks (dry and brittle)? I only cut ones that broke easily and when I did they had the hollow cores. I then cut them back to where the center was no longer hollow…the one “full tree” photo shows the non-hollow cut and that was about 6” past a hollow point
Mental note, I’ll not cut any more in the future. I was honestly just curious if there was anything left alive because every branch just seemed to snap off with minimal effort.
Thanks again
It's often hard to tell when a limb is alive or partially dead.
When it is in full leaf is the best time and a good time to remove deadwood.
Due to it looking like it doesn't threaten anything if limbs fail hollow limbs are not that big of a problem. Some may live for decades longer or even more.
It's hard to put back what has been cut off.
I'm looking at this from a preservation point of view.
That tree has character!
That tree looks plenty alive to me. While it is showing plenty of central decay, that dark line next to the rotten interior is compartmentalization: the tree is still fighting off the interior decay. So long as it isn't going to fall on anything expensive as it continues to decay, I wouldn't worry about that.
1. There are many small twigs in the top and peripheral branches.
2. Those branch cuts display lots of color. This is absent in trees that have been dead very long.
3. Vines take a long time to kill off a tree. You wouldn't have that many twigs in the top if the tree has been killed slowly by the choking deficit of sunlight caused by vines.
You can probably determine each live branch right now by looking close at the twigs. Take a good zoomed in picture of any twigs in the tree, then blow them up and look for live leaf buds. Then look at some of the long branches on the ground and compare.
So if you have buds present on any branch, it almost certainly wasn't killed by any vines. Sometimes branches die as a result of winter-kill, but this isn't as likely for the entire tree, depending on the severity of your winter.
By March, those buds will begin swelling, and in April you will easily tell which parts are alive and doing well.
https://www.naturetalksandwalks.co.uk/what-are-tree-buds/
1. There are many small twigs in the top and peripheral branches.
2. Those branch cuts display lots of color. This is absent in trees that have been dead very long.
3. Vines take a long time to kill off a tree. You wouldn't have that many twigs in the top if the tree has been killed slowly by the choking deficit of sunlight caused by vines.
You can probably determine each live branch right now by looking close at the twigs. Take a good zoomed in picture of any twigs in the tree, then blow them up and look for live leaf buds. Then look at some of the long branches on the ground and compare.
"Buds are tiny leaves, stems and flowers located in a small case at the base of each leaf. Buds are formed during the summer months for the following year. Each spring as the tree comes out of dormancy, the scales fall off and the tree’s leaves, stems and flowers open up and grow."
So if you have buds present on any branch, it almost certainly wasn't killed by any vines. Sometimes branches die as a result of winter-kill, but this isn't as likely for the entire tree, depending on the severity of your winter.
By March, those buds will begin swelling, and in April you will easily tell which parts are alive and doing well.
https://www.naturetalksandwalks.co.uk/what-are-tree-buds/
From one of your pictures, I see oak buds:
Just look at the tree overall, you will begin to see all the live and dead parts.
Just look at the tree overall, you will begin to see all the live and dead parts.
I have a different recommendation for a lot of my customers, especially for those with a limited budget or a favorite tree that they would like to keep alive. Cut it off in late spring, after it has leafed out, then leave a tall enough stump to prevent the lawn mower from running over it. If you are lucky, most declining trees will have enough energy to grow some shoots off the stump. These can be allowed to grow madly skyward. After you can see which shoots are growing best, prune all but one off the stump, then care for it like a new transplant.
The Kansas City Fire Department headquarters has about 7 new ash trees because I saved the stumps. In less than two years, they are over 6 feet tall and the lawnmower and string trimmer guys can't do too much damage, since they are growing above the trimmer height.
Now this advice won't work at all if your tree is dying from a fatal fungal infection. If it is just old and rotten, I have brought quite a few trees back from the grave with nothing more than letting the sprouts live. Crabapples and redbud trees are particularly skilled at this regrowth.
I do that with pecan trees. Then graft the best shoot. A mature root system will really push. But if there’s lots of rot, I grind it down.
Looks like an old blackjack oak. They are notorious for having a lot of deadwood, especially the tips.but tough ole birds overall. Let it leaf out and see what you have.
