What would you do with this pine?

[xtremetrees]

Heres a pic of a white pine that suggest a client remove the left limb towards the house, now I;m not so sure. This limb wound would be 15 or 20 inches dia at 35ftup and house side.

What I'm asking is would you take this limb off. I think tree health is crutial to pruning when young and adequate watering, will this weakin the tree and perpetuate the domino falling effect, Removal of limb will lighten the left side of the weight of the tree which is toward the house, but will it create more of a hazard in the future. Just say what you think would you cut it or not, I mentioned it and the fellow just sending me work I guess. If you owned itwood you cut the limb or leave it.?
Heres the pics.

 

[xtremetrees]

My vote.. Its difficult to say
To cut justifications:. As is evident in the first pic the left side of the white pine is grawing faster because of the light nets, it seems to be farming more light ie. has larger limbs that the parent trunk. It is approaching dominate stem status, just look at the volume of branches mostly comming from the left side. Also the trees on the right side (Maples?) are shading and forcing the left side of the pine to reach further for light. Remove the left stem to stop the competition and force growth into parent central leader.

To not cut justifications: Branch union is great its a solid attachment, no included bark whatsoever. A nice strong "U" shape no "V" branch union here. A cut this large diameter will invite pest, could cause rotting in 5-10 years leaving the tree weaker altogether at its mid point. The tree is well established and healthy

If limbs break would it hit the house?, close but I think not enuff to do harm, maybe some tips would get the deck, but if the co-dominate stem failed could take out some of the deck but I think the house would be ok. Its all guess work so guess away.

Dont mean to change the subj, and derail my own thread but didnt want to start another.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I'm with Dan 'n Guy, thin and reduce.

To me that is a stem, not a limb. it would be removing too much of the dynamic mass.

Then too, we all know what big wounds on white pine do.

 

[Old Monkey]

Heights don't bother me as long as I am in control. If someone else is driving the vehicle I am in next to a cliff, that bothers me. I used to be a helicopter firefighter for the BLM. We had a fire south of Bakersfield near a stretch of I-5 called the Grapevine. Its all steep grassy canyon with very few places to land. We circled and circled and didn't see a landing spot. The pilot saw something we didn't and start going in on final approach. He takes us right to the only stretch of flat ground right under the high tension lines and says "I think I can slide us in here right under these lines." That is as scared as I remember being.

 

[xtremetrees]

heres the fork

 

[Old Monkey]

That tree needs little if any work done to it. Unless of course you need work and then I would do a very light reduction to it. I might subordinate the smaller top depending on how it looked when I got up to it. It looks like a fun climb.

 

[nitwit dolt]

To cut or not to cut?

I don't see any reason to remove, but if snow and ice are any concern i would prune accordingly. I might even consider a cable.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I don't see any reason to remove, but if snow and ice are any concern i would prune accordingly. I might even consider a cable.

For a pine that's a good solid looking crothc, but a dynamic cable as fail safe would not be bad thing

 

[BostonBull]

I would get the deadwood out, thin it out some and see what it does in the next couple of years. If the homeowner is still worried about the stem then suggest removal of the whole tree. I feel that is too much to take off that tree, without bad results. i.e. rot, total failure of the tree, and pests.

 

[xtremetrees]

Cabeling is not such a bad idea, I recently installed some 4 metric tonn cobra. That stuff sure is stout. Ill guess the left stem only weights 3400 lbs.

would you thin the limbs, remeber your looking for the perfect prymid structure

 

[xtremetrees]

or wood you knot?

 

[beowulf343]

Top it at six inches.:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Ekka]

I'd deadwood and selectively thin, install a fall protection rope system, perhaps cobra but not as bracing.

I wouldn't reduce coz the trees form is apically dominant not spreading crown so to me that would be a borderline topping case resulting in cutting the leader to the top of a branch that would then assume the apical dominance yet be a lot uglier and weaker.

Trees like pines which are apically dominant look bloody bad when people drop them down.

This is one of those typical scenarios where that lead should have been knocked off years ago when it was a stick, the opportunity is missed.

Yet there'd be no shortage of contrary advice from tree whackers who wouldn't batter an eyelid leaving wounds of 20" dia against the main trunk.

 

[clearance]

Saw it down, done, end of story, get paid and leave.

 

[treeseer]

I wouldn't reduce coz the trees form is apically dominant

Eric, you are right but "reduce" also refers to shortening spreading branches while leaving the leader be.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I wouldn't reduce coz the trees form is apically dominant not spreading crown so to me that would be a borderline topping case resulting in cutting the leader to the top of a branch that would then assume the apical dominance yet be a lot uglier and weaker.

Trees like pines which are apically dominant look bloody bad when people drop them down.

Depends on how far down you go.

I would take just enough out so as to allow the main stem top to not be interfered with.

But looking back at pic 4, that ight be just a heavy thin of that lead.

 

[jazak]

Take it out. Pines are know to "suddenly" crack.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

For a pine that's a good solid looking crothc, but a dynamic cable as fail safe would not be bad thing

I second John's posts.

Removing a big stem would be too much removal.

A nice bit of bracing would do fine.

It's an okay looking tree, and all the major components need to stay for it to keep looking that nice.

 

[stihlatit]

Thin it and take the dead out if there is any, so that it does not take so much wind. You say it is healthy and it certainly looks like it by looking at the crotch. To take out the leader and leave such a scar will most definitely invite the ants and bugs. Pines are finicky enough when they are healthy. To invite weakness by cutting the one of the main leads and opening a big wound seems like inviting wind disaster down the road.

 

[xtremetrees]

ok i think we agree on not topping or reducing the paracite limb.
Thinning as some have suggest to aloow wind passage. humm.
I dont know, the idea of shortening sprawling limbs? I don tlike.
Punching hole (removing limbs ) alternately to allow wind> maybe.
cabeling? not to suplement strenght of structure and cable as a fail safe, yes I think so. If I owned the tree I wood cable it but keep it loose enuff tfor the tree to provide its own support. The use of cable this was is typically not used in this matter moreover it is supporting structure eventually weaking i believe the structure should be self reliant.cable only as fail safe. adjust every 4 years for growth and replace what every 12 or 15years?
So make a hole to the left then right then left then right ? what remove 4 or 5 sprawling limbs? Thansk for replies the homewoner is following the thread. and appreciates your time and suggestions.
Now what would you charge? As a family friend I would say 300 cost of cable 100 install it and 200 remove limbs total 600