I need to understand the risk of a forked Araucaria. If you have any sources supporting this assessment of risk, I would be grateful. Picture of tree attached.
If you have certified tree (arborist) services offered there have one come and look at it, give you a Hazard Tree Assessment. Unless the two halves are not too far apart it might be possible to cable them together.
Many thanks for the suggestion on cabelling. I can understand why cabelling the forked trunks might seem like a possible solution, but I would want to know if anyone has actually modelled the stresses that would be imposed on the cable itself and on the trunks at the point of the cable to confirm the theoretical soundness. Also, it would be interesting to know if the solution has actually proven itself in practice. Any links you could provide would be most appreciated.
We don't get hurricanes, but we have occasional lightening storms with winds up to 80 mph. Is this a negligible risk for a forked trunk Norfolk pine, especially with cabelling? Many thanks
The Norfolk pine does not seem to be common in our area, certainly not at this height and in a suburban neighborhood, which is why I am turning to international sources of information. In particular, your comment about a forked tree splitting in a hurricane concerned me, and I would be most grateful to get any additional thoughts or references you could suggest.
That's why I suggested getting local advice, they'll know the local risks better than I can from a couple thousand km away :-) As an aside, your tree is an Araucaria columnaris (Coral-reef Araucaria, from New Caledonia), not the one from Norfolk Island. They are frequently mistaken for each other, but Norfolk Island Araucaria has a broader-based crown and a straighter trunk (pic).
Many thanks for clarifying the species. Might there be any difference in the risk of a forked Araucaria columnaris as opposed to the Norfolk Island Araucaria? According to the following website, there are multiple reasons why a large Norfolk Island Araucaria is inappropriate for a suburban backyard in a climate that has low rainfall, but occasionally has strong storms and frost. (The columnaris page doesn't mention risks.) Araucaria heterophylla / Norfolk Island pine | Conifer Species | American Conifer Society
No different; of their comment: This actually refers to A. columnaris; well over 95% of the so-called "Norfolk Island Pines" produced in Florida are actually A. columnaris misidentified. This can easily be verified by looking around southern Florida on google street view; virtually all of the Araucarias there are A. columnaris, with typical slender crowns and frequently non-straight trunks. A corresponding look round streets in Australia or New Zealand will show the difference; there, the nurseries mainly sell A. heterophylla true to name (for completeness, in Hawaii, South America, India and Hong Kong, they are almost all A. columnaris, while in the Mediterranean and South Africa, it is a mix of both).
Going back to this first response, I would be most grateful for a link to a photo of a tree with codominant trunks that has been cabled to reduce the risk of failure. Thanks!
