My b-e-a-utiful birch tree got smoked during the great Ontario ice storm of December 2013. Most of the limbs snapped due to the weight of the ice. Is there any hope for this tree or should it just be cut down . There are a few branches still left, so will they feed the tree enough, and / or will new shoots grow near the tops of the limbs ?
It'll live and grow new branches, but can't be expected to last long (decay will get into the broken ends), and won't look very good. I'd plant a replacement now nearby, keep the birch for a few years (until the new tree is starting to get some size), and then remove it in maybe 4 or 5 years time.
