We watched the tree pull out even further and sway with the wind yesterday as trees were crashing down in the park across the street from us. We have it slated for being cut down. It is now in serious danger of falling into our neighbours yard. Unfortunatly, everbody is really busy and it looks like it may come down before we can have it taken down. Oh well, this option is cheaper anyway.
Just a quick note to say the tree company came today and cut it down. We had a few people take a look at it and tell us it wasn't stable anymore, (it was pretty obvious). I shed a few tears and then told myself that Stanley Park had suffered much worse. We will be planting a new tree this spring! Thanks everyone!
It is always a wrench when a long time companion (even one without a central nervous system) passes away. About 20 years back, a large raintree (Samanea Saman) at the border of a parking lot at a federal medical university where I was working gently toppled over at night without causing any damage. This tree was also on a slope. The probable reason was widening of the road on the top of the slope leading to the down side free soil becoming mushy in rain, while that under the road remained firm. We took a cutting from the same tree and planted the rooted sapling in the same spot. Sentimental, maybe. Here is what we did about 30 years back. I was then working in a federal aerospace research facility. A mature rusty shield bearer(30+ years Peltophorum) was in an inconvenient location and was scheduled for cutting down. A few of us scientists decided to try and save it. We lopped off all dead wood, spindly growth, and shoots. A new site was prepared with a 15 foot diameter (depth to match) pit. The ground around the tree was saturated with water for a few days. We dug a deep trench about 12 feet diameter around the tree using wire ropes to anchor the tree so that it would remain stable. A truck mounted 20 ton crane was then mobilized to lift the entire tree with about 8 cubic meters of root ball. The entire tree was slowly moved over to the prepared pit, bedded down, and previously procured new soil packed around the root ball. Cable ties were again used to stabilize the tree. We never estimated what it cost. Looking back it seems to be sheer madness. It worked though. The tree survived survived perfectly the traumatic operation and thrived in the new location. This is not to advocate this as a routine horticultural practice. bioramani
i haven't jumped in this post so far, because Ron B has said pretty much everything I would also say about topping. safety sake" huh? that is where homeowners are tricked into creating a "safer" tree. in reality topping creates more of a hazardous tree than having left it alone. in many states, mine included, topping can actually lower your property value not only because it is horribly disfiguring, but because you have created a hazardous situation for your home. it is a money making scam put on by "professionals". once you allow your tree to be topped, you have just created an open invitation for annual maintenance to be preformed on your tree by the service that suggested a hack job. when i read that topping was being suggested as a remedy to this situtation, i had to throw in my two cents. i can't restrain myself on this topic. sorry :) good call to have it removed instead of topped
Now that you had mentioned the notion of using trickery by professionals to create the need for yearly maintainence work, I see wisdom is more directed to the tree maintainence professionals. In fact I had suggested to my professional tree pruner to lop off the trunk of my London Plane Tree but he suggested that a better way is to prune it in such a way that the natural shape is retained. I took his advice and I am gland that there are still honest aborists around. Like I had said earlier that there is no art to find the mind's construction in the face.
i wish that were the case where i live. when you look up "tree service" in the yellow pages, out 20 different companies only one doesn't advertise they top trees. it is really sad. our state urban forestry council is really trying to promote becoming a certified arborist which doesn't make you an "expert", but it at least makes you read and study the proper ways of caring for you trees. in our little town of 80,000 people, there are only two certified arborist in town, i am one of them and i don't climb. not only do the companies need to be educated, but the customers do to. we have a huge decling half dead post oak in our yard, unfortunately we don't have $600 bucks to remove it yet, but some random guy in pick up truck came by with out me calling him and suggested topping it. poor guy, he never had a chance with me. he finally gave up when he saw my bumper sticker that says "Tree topping Hurts". he was definitely looking to make quick cash.
