Do dead limbs inside tree matter?

[mm]

I have an evergreen tree, a fir tree, not a pine tree, but I'm not sure just what the name is. The kind used for Xmas trees, I think, or maybe not. The short needles on this are sort of sharp.

I had access on one side to the center of the tree, and I found myself breaking off lots of the short dead stems, that maybe held green stuff when the tree was younger, and then lots the dead branches some of which still had dead "fir" on them.

Will this end up damaging the health of the tree, or more likely the appearance of the tree? If I break out the entire dead center, will the live limbs grow in dfferent directions? Or will it just look wierd to have a somewhat empty insides?

There is a lot left that I didnt' do, but it was like scraching a scab. I seemed to have an irresistable urge to keep breaking.

Thanks.

[Don Phillipson]

No one can advise you much without knowing (1) how big this tree is (e.g. 4 ft. 14 ft. or 44 ft.) and (2) where it grows (cf. sunshine and rainfall.) You can google (a) to identify what sort of evergreen it may be and (b) how other people prune trees (varying according whether they want to control the size, make it fit into a garden context, maximise knot-free timber etc.)

[mm]

I'm sure now it won't damage the health. I guess when I posted, I wasn't even sure of that!

Thanks for your reply.

You're right. It's 25 to 30 feet tall, about 31 years old. In Baltimore, Maryland, which gets a moderate amount of rain, usually maybe more than "average", and it gets a lot of sunshine.

I don't think anyone generally prunes these branches because normally one can't get at them. The very heavy snow fall last winter bent down or broke about 1/3 of the tree, part that I propped up again and tied to the main trunk, and the other part that died and I had to cut away. After I cut off whole branches, the inside was visible. It never had been before, on this tree or any tree like it.

So maybe I'm looking for a guess about how an evergreen tree that normally has lots of dead branches inside will look when the branches are all cut out.

The difference between a rubber ball and a tennis ball, maybe, with a wedge cut out of each. The tennis ball is hollow!

[Don Phillipson]

You can probably get free advice from the local agency for public parks. Any tree that lost a third of its branches to snowfall is seriously damaged and may require major surgery in order to survive (and look good). Evergreens seem in this respect more vigorous than deciduous trees.