Ap Storm Damage....Advise Appreciated

I live in the Puget Sound area and have recently suffered much damage from a few harsh winter storms. I have lost several mature birch trees and also received some pretty substantial damage to a large 20ft AP...among others.

There is one break in particular that worries me and I don't know how to fix.

I have heard that some folks apply some sort of 'sealer' to bad breaks...and others say never to seal. I would very much appreciate any advise as I really do not want to suffer further damage to this beautiful tree.

THANK YOU!
-Cirque

 

Here is a photo of the break.....pretty splintered....

 

Hi Cirque,

Well, I think the opinions will vary on this topic. I have heard to do absolutely nothing. I have also heard to coat the wounded area with a tree seal or pruning seal. To be honest, I think either way the tree will be fine. The tree will take care of itself in this case.

I remember a large oak we had on our property growing up as a kid. It was struck by lightning which really blew a large chunk out of this tree. My dad had me climb up it a fill the thing with mortar and paint it with roofing tar. Not real sure what the purpose the mortar was for but I didn't ask any questions. Over the years this thing fully healed. Only thing left is the scar.

Stephen

 

Based on what I see from the photo, it appears that rot combined with the storm caused the branch to break away. The union of the three branches created an area where organic matter combined with rain would gather causing rot and a weak point in the tree. Unfortunately, Mother Nature never seems to make a clean cut when she prunes. But on the bright side of things, this opened up what was otherwise a hidden problem that only would have gotten worse over time. (or I am not perceiving the photo correctly, in which case disregard my feedback).

One approach is to do nothing and eventually things may work out over time.

If it were my tree this is what I would do, but I am not saying that it's the right approach. I have a very "non-traditional" or controversial approach when repairing problems such as this.

I would get a very sharp knife, something sharp enough and thin enough to carve wood. Starting from the bottom of the break, gently and carefully carve upward with one smooth and full pass upward. The goal is to clean up the splintering and smooth up the break. The other goal is to eliminate valleys where water and organic matter will gather allowing for a smooth clean surface for the wound wood to form over. This may take several passes to get the desired results. With the same method of working from the bottom of the break working upward, clean up the jagged lines along the bark on the bottom and left side of the wound. (this may already be cleaned up from the step above, but regardless it's not a bad idea to make sure the edge of the bark is clean and fresh cutting away any tissue damage that may have been caused by the break)

Use the same sharp knife to clean out the rot. Be careful not to damage the existing branches and live tissue. Sometimes the cavity will work out towards the break, which is good. While cleaning it out you will create a channel for the water to run out smoothly along the right side where you have already cleaned up, which will fix the problem that was causing the rot in the first place. That is the goal to have in mind when cleaning out the rot.

If a valley was formed by the rot that is more in the center or works in the direction away from the wound, then in my opinion it needs to be filled and sealed.

If you have not already written me off as crazy, well here is where it gets really crazy.

To fill the cavity and seal it, I would use Great Stuff (the expanding foam that is used for sealing around pipes, doors, and windows found at any home center) Be sure the cavity is clean as it may not seal well if the opening is dirty or wet. Use sparingly as it expands and we do not want it to get on the bark. But we want to make sure it expands enough to completely fill the cavity. Once dry, use a knife to make the great stuff smooth. Think water when doing this as we do not want to create another valley. Cover the surface of the great stuff with water proof glue, like Gorilla glue.

The wound on the side can be sealed or it can be left alone. If sealed, do not use the black tar sold as tree seal. In my opinion this does not allow the tree to correctly form the wound wood and long term looks bad. For sealing, I use Elmer's wood glue. In the bonsai world they also sell cut paste and sealers that will match the color of the bark.

Again, this is what I have done in the past with less than desirable problems. Desperate times call for desperate measures and I have a tough time doing nothing when I know that rot was the problem and it will continue to be a problem.

I would recommend getting a second opinion and when taking such desperate measures there is always a chance of losing the main branch, which maybe the outcome if you do nothing.

Also keep in mind, it's hard to give good advice when you’re not there to see and investigate the problem. A picture can only show so much and sometimes it's misleading too.

If there was no rot, I would never use Great stuff on a tree. But in the case of fixing rot, it’s nice because it expands, seals, and remains flexible as wood in a branch is constantly moving. I have had luck with this technique on my very old Acer Palmatum Atrolineare. A bad cut with years of neglect at the nursery before a bought the tree became a real problem my second year owning the tree and two years after making the “repair” the tree is doing great. But no two problems are the same and I can’t say it will always work that way.

I am ready to receive my harsh criticism now for throwing out such a radical approach :-)

 

JT1, I think you are correct.. You have to clean and fill the rot with something. This would allow the new bark to "form around" whatever the filler is. I would go with the pruning seals instead of the glues. The pruning seals are at least bio-degradable.

Stephen

 

I went out and took a picture of my "repair" using Great stuff and Gorilla glue to fill / seal the surface of the great stuff. I used the glue over the great stuff, but not on the tree, as a means to seal the great stuff. When I trimmed off any excess Great stuff to make it flush, it exposes foamy pores inside that I felt should be sealed. If you do not need to trim off excess Great stuff it may not be necessary to use glue.

The rotted area has closed up about 75% over the past 2 years. The cavity of rot was at the top side of the branch, so water would collect and further the rot before I made my "repair". I did not want to remove the branch because it would have made a hole in the front part of the tree canopy.