We lost a tree-trunk (one of three) during a windstorm last night. When I cut it off far below the jagged edges I found the trunk was hollow -- how far down, I don't know. It is pointing upward, and certain to catch rain like a basin.
My question is, should I keep cutting until I get to solid wood, or will the stump just rot away naturally without causing any further damage?
The two surviving trunks seem okay.
Ray wrote:>We lost a tree-trunk (one of three) during a windstorm last night. When I
Damage to what? Your neighbor's shed? But seriously, it seems to be a matter of aesthetics. I'd keep cutting! Maybe a nice chainsaw sculpture is in order. Tom Work at your leisure!
Will these two survivors cause any damage to the house or other structures if the topple? If so you may want to take core samples to see if they are hollow too and to get an idea of their health.
fill it up with termites and it will be gone in no time....
I would. Then put a dab of paint on the end...to help protect it temporarily from parasites.
If for no other reason, you should keep cutting to investigate the integrity of the whole tree in general.
Things are not always as they seem! Early on, I thought my ex-wife had a stupid attorney. WRONG!! lol
Good luck.
Have a nice week...
Trent©
What do you call a smart blonde? A golden retriever.
That's old, deprecated advice. Arborists today recommend leaving the branch stub -- a clean cut just past the collar -- with no covering. The tree itself will form a chemical barrier in a short time, and paint or tar could trap moisture and promote rot.
When a limb is damaged, it is best to remove any stubs which remain. The best cut to make is a clean one, just beyond the collar, where branches meet. Find that point and cut there.
Don't tar or paint; the tree will make its own chemical barrier.
Unless there is a major branch or two remaining from this trunk, it may be best to remove the entire thing. What you want to think about is how the remaining healthy limbs will grow. If there's nothing (say) half the size of the trunk left, you should probably write the entire thing off, as the new growth won't be properly balanced. In that case it's time to start your maintenance around the future balanced growth from the remaining trunks. Since you suspect the trunk is lost anyway, why wait?
He's already removed the entire trunk, he's asking about the other two, so he's got a tree with multiple trunks. They usually aren't very attractive to begin with and certainly less so with one trunk missing. I'd probably just get rid of the whole thing.
Some of the old cures work quite well.
Have a nice week...
Trent©
What do you call a smart blonde? A golden retriever.
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