Red Beech trimming

[coolbrze]

My uncle has a massive 65' ~ 60" DBH 300 year old Red Beech tree on his farm and asked us to come down & clean it up. The leaves are still on and would like to go soon as to make it easier to see what's dead & what's not. Should we just trim the D, D, & D limbs or should we wait until it's dormant? Any help is greatly appreciated.

I know it's a crappy pic, but my Aunt took it while we were camping down there last month. You can only see 1/2 the tree in the far right of the pic:

 

[tree MDS]

My uncle has a massive 65' ~ 60" DBH 300 year old Red Beech tree on his farm and asked us to come down & clean it up. The leaves are still on and would like to go soon as to make it easier to see what's dead & what's not. Should we just trim the D, D, & D limbs or should we wait until it's dormant? Any help is greatly appreciated.

If it was me I would trim it now. I would do just like you said, D, D, & D - plus maybe a crossing limb or two if there are any. I would also try to use a handsaw and make the best possible cuts you can. Maybe even reduce a little wieght from the ends here and there.

Moderation is the hardest part of proper pruning for most to grasp I think. I've come more to just letting these old trees handle things naturally these days. Of course I dont prune much..but I can anyways.

Sounds like a nice tree, you should get pics before and after.

Its a copper beech you mean, right? Anyone know the latin on that one??

Those trees have been having a hard time in NW CT here the last couple of years it seems. Not sure whats up with that? Lots of dying ones though.

Nevermind, its Fagus Grandifolia. I guess I was just wondering if the Copper ones had a different latin name?

 

[BlackenedTimber]

In the middle regions of NY state, atleast sullivan county (right where NY turns and goes west over the top of PA) there are ALOT of dead beeches in the woods.

Not sure whats up with that either. I have generally left them standing when cutting timber, as they are scaled for pallet stock at my mill, and they weigh so much that you lose alot of a load with little return at the mill. Plus, I hate to clear-cut, and standing spars keep the forester happy so the birdies have a place to play.

But like I said, lots of dead beech in the last few years. Big ones too, 20-30" DBH, I mean BIG for beeches.

 

[Toddppm]

Now should be fine. If it's a Copper Beech you might want to measure it out. If it's that big it might be a state champion tree as the biggest one was in Fairfax City and got lighting struck and taken down a couple years ago.

 

[tree MDS]

In the middle regions of NY state, atleast sullivan county (right where NY turns and goes west over the top of PA) there are ALOT of dead beeches in the woods.

Not sure whats up with that either. I have generally left them standing when cutting timber, as they are scaled for pallet stock at my mill, and they weigh so much that you lose alot of a load with little return at the mill. Plus, I hate to clear-cut, and standing spars keep the forester happy so the birdies have a place to play.

But like I said, lots of dead beech in the last few years. Big ones too, 20-30" DBH, I mean BIG for beeches.

Yeah, its all the big ones here too that are dying. Important trees like the one at our local library, that tree was awesome, now the crown is 40-60% dead.

 

[treevet]

We have had to remove some historic beech, one of my favorite trees, also and Beech Bark Disease, brought on by weakening by scale and vectored in by them is the disease here. ....Nectria coccinea

 

[treeseer]

Yes do not wait but please take pics of stem lesions and pretty please do something for the roots; that tree is going downhill.

 

[treeoperations]

the latin name is

Fagus sylvatica "purpurea"

i love pruning them, super strong, challanging to prune as well.

word of warning with the crossing branches go easy on them or youll end up removing half the canopy.

have fun with that one mate

 

[TDunk]

In the middle regions of NY state, atleast sullivan county (right where NY turns and goes west over the top of PA) there are ALOT of dead beeches in the woods.

Not sure whats up with that either. I have generally left them standing when cutting timber, as they are scaled for pallet stock at my mill, and they weigh so much that you lose alot of a load with little return at the mill. Plus, I hate to clear-cut, and standing spars keep the forester happy so the birdies have a place to play.

But like I said, lots of dead beech in the last few years. Big ones too, 20-30" DBH, I mean BIG for beeches.

I've noticed this also over the past few years, heard it was some sort of blight. An older guy had told me that when you start to see small white dots on them, that's the first sign.

 

[treeseer]

word of warning with the crossing branches go easy on them or youll end up removing half the canopy.

E#xcellent point; crossing branches are not always bad. Often reducing the upper one will lessen the wounding and preserve form.

 

[treevet]

I wouldn't allow a live leaf on a branch to come off that old tree.

 

[tree MDS]

We have had to remove some historic beech, one of my favorite trees, also and Beech Bark Disease, brought on by weakening by scale and vectored in by them is the disease here. ....Nectria coccinea

That sounds right on according to what the Disease Management Guide for Ct Arborist says here. Thanks TV, looks like I may have learned something here. Looks like its not too late to spray the nymphs if I'm reading this stuff correctly. I'm still learning all of this. The scale is called "Cryptococcus fagisuga"...sounds pretty nasty if you think about it, lol.

 

[coolbrze]

Pics below as promised. What are the round red dots growing on some of the limbs in pic #2? Also, in pics #3 & 4, we took off a good sized rotten branch, cut just outside the collar, & water started flowing. We had just gassed up the 200T & at 1st I thought we didn't thread the gas cap on right, as water was going everywhere. There must have been somewhere between 3-4 gallons of water that flowed out during/after the cut. I would venture that there is a good bit of water built up inside that tree. Can the tree be drilled to drain the water? If so, where & how should we do it?

 

[tree MDS]

The red dots called perithecia, from the fungus nectria coccinea - or beech bark disease, in other words, bad news for your tree.

Its brought on by beech scale like treevet said earlier.

I will let others who know more take it from here, nice pics though.

 

[Blakesmaster]

My uncle has a massive 65' ~ 60" DBH 300 year old Red Beech tree on his farm and asked us to come down & clean it up. The leaves are still on and would like to go soon as to make it easier to see what's dead & what's not. Should we just trim the D, D, & D limbs or should we wait until it's dormant? Any help is greatly appreciated.

I know it's a crappy pic, but my Aunt took it while we were camping down there last month. You can only see 1/2 the tree in the far right of the pic:

I can't comment much on the disease, MDS seems to be kicking it and Seer will surely be along quick to lay down the law but I must say, that house is beautiful.

 

[treeseer]

Nice pics, thanks. And a good-looking pruning job overall. now for some law-laying...or half-mast theorizing. :hmm3grin2orange:

in pics #3 & 4, we took off a good sized rotten branch, cut just outside the collar,

Looks like that cut left a lot of dead tissue on the lower right, and took a lot of live tissue from upper left. Collars are not always round and flat! Did you mean to leave that gunky part?
Why drill? Just hose it off now and then. let the water run and irrigate that dry tree.

Big white wound above the weeping one, guaranteed to hollow out--no green leaves further out to cut to? like treevet said...
1/3 "rule" does not apply to severely declining trees imo. any node is a natural target.

Rootzone absolutely trashed by turf culture--the chips from that job could have been dumped and spread then and there.
aka value-added services.

o on second thought, not near the trunk...

 

[Rftreeman]

Man.....I bet that was a beech to trim wasn't it.........

nice place though

 

[Adkpk]

Nice house. Nice tree. Nice truck. Nice job. Thanks coolbrze. Good luck on preserving the tree and put up some pics of the cabin, whoa what a nice spread!

 

[pdqdl]

...

Looks like that cut left a lot of dead tissue on the lower right, and took a lot of live tissue from upper left. Collars are not always round and flat! Did you mean to leave that gunky part?...

That cut looks pretty close to the branch bark collar, which appears to be completely compromised on the lower right.

Would you recommend trimming closer, pruning/scraping decayed wood into the trunk itself? I always thought that was pointless. Not picking a fight, just seeking information.

 

[treeseer]

Would you recommend trimming closer, pruning/scraping decayed wood into the trunk itself? I always thought that was pointless.

Not pointless to remove rot. Reasons:

1. Active decay feeds on N left in already-decayed wood, so cleaning removes one of the pathogen's food sources.

2. The more air and light get to the decay, the slower it will rot. Fungus and bacteria favor closed moist places.

3. Trimming dead stuff back to living tissue will speed closure, because the callus will only have to roll over, and not outward.

4. It's ugly and it's oozing.

there are more, but 4's enough for now...