What would you do for this Cedar?

[misfit]

What would you guys do for this 22"DBH Cedar? The lowest limb on the right has become a tree of its own, and I am concerned that it is going to get so heavy that it will split off the trunk. Is that a legitimate concern? This is in south Louisiana, and it has taken a lot of abuse over the years. Multiple hurricanes have twisted and split limbs (most have since been pruned), and then last year, the next door neighbor used a Ditch Witch to dig a trench for a new drainage pipe just 4 feet from the edge of the trunk. A drought, still ongoing, is also stressing it now, and the dead limb on the left side is a sign of that though it also had earlier hurricane damage. I want to preserve the tree. I am a competent climber, but I am not an educated arborist. I can probably prune whatever needs to be done myself this Fall/Winter, but I don't know exactly where to prune to reduce the weight of this limb. I plan to consult with a real local arborist, but I would also like to hear what you guys would recommend so I will be well-informed beforehand.

 

[Neill]

That limb is awesome, gotta love the odd- ball forms of eastern red cedar!

 

[Neill]

That said, I would recommend pruning the large low limb back by 1/3rd in hopes that the reduction is enough to keep it around.
As far as the rest of the tree, nothing is of obvious concern based on the picture alone.
Have fun, looks like a fun climb

 

[Basswood]

Man that tree is awesome. Preserve that limb as best ya can. Cables, a few brace rods and some reduction on it phase one.

 

[oldoakman]

I would be willing to possibly do a road trip.

 

[Stumpsprouts]

Man that tree is awesome. Preserve that limb as best ya can. Cables, a few brace rods and some reduction on it phase one.

If it’s a reduction prune done in phases, cable/brace might be unnecessary as the leveraging weight would be greatly reduced. It’s held it up like that for this long..

A very cool tree.

 

[canopyking]

what everybody else said.

 

[Mick Dempsey]

Cut half of that limb off.

 

[Seth McPherson]

I’m going to catch shit for this - No targets underneath, leave it be. I don’t believe there is any hard evidence that weight reduction prevents or stops a failure. Taking the top off that limb will reduce the amount of load experienced at the questionable union but it will also force that limb to move in an entirely new way with high wind, potentially not able to dissipate wind loads as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Basswood]

I’m going to catch shit for this - No targets underneath, leave it be. I don’t believe there is any hard evidence that weight reduction prevents or stops a failure. Taking the top off that limb will reduce the amount of load experienced at the questionable union but it will also force that limb to move in an entirely new way with high wind, potentially not able to dissipate wind loads as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree with this sentiment. Reduction is a fine line and a situation like that especially can do more harm than good.

 

[Daniel]

take 5-10' of the tip of that long lead going right....

interior deadwood for beauty and that one dry limb...

say a prayer...

 

[Daniel]

I agree with this sentiment. Reduction is a fine line and a situation like that especially can do more harm than good.

I’m going to catch shit for this - No targets underneath, leave it be. I don’t believe there is any hard evidence that weight reduction prevents or stops a failure. Taking the top off that limb will reduce the amount of load experienced at the questionable union but it will also force that limb to move in an entirely new way with high wind, potentially not able to dissipate wind loads as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Are you speaking from personal experience or just what you learned somewhere?

I DON'T CARE WHAT ENYBODY SAYS... I've seen enough with my own eyes to know better. Redcution pruning is experemely effective at reducing storm damage.. that limb is eventually going to outgrow it's ability to hold itslef up, especially of there are potential snow or ice loads...

if you really wanted to preserve the look of that limb, then you could cable and brace it. But that's going to be a lot of work compared to just making a couplr quick reduction cuts.

the only question is how much to reduce it... I think 1/2 to 1/3 as suggested by some are far more than needed. If there is something valuabel below that could get damaged adn you wanted to be extra safe, you migh want to take it back to that nice lateral that points out towards the camera. That's doable, but not necessary. Again it would depend on the potential for snow loads and the look of the branch union... You normally don't need to take too much off the top, just "the straw that breaks the camel's back". So it all depends.. somewhere between 5-10' should be plenty, but you can go up to 1/3 without much conern for the tree''s health.

 

[Basswood]

I’ve seen plenty of “reduction” pruning that resulted in a poor response of weakly attached branches.

No amount of reduction pruning will address the defects of that limb to preserve it on its own.

Stop pretending it’s some magic bullet that “saves trees”. There’s no such thing in tree care.

And note I am a big fan of reduction pruning.

 

[Daniel]

I’ve seen plenty of “reduction” pruning that resulted in a poor response of weakly attached branches.

No amount of reduction pruning will address the defects of that limb to preserve it on its own.

Stop pretending it’s some magic bullet that “saves trees”. There’s no such thing in tree care.

You could put a cable in if you wanted to be sure the limb won't fail. But if you did, wouldn't you take a little weight off the tips first?

 

[Basswood]

You could put a cable in if you wanted to be sure the limb won't fail. But if you did, wouldn't you take a little weight off the tips first?

I said that in my original post.

 

[misfit]

Thanks to all who commented here with their recommendations. My local arborist (TCIA and ISA certified and TRAQ certified) came by today, and his recommendation is to cut off the top third of the long limb. He showed me exactly where he would cut it. His primary concern was the leverage the wind would have on that portion of the limb, and high winds during hurricane season are definitely a concern here. His view is that the risk of leaving the limb as it is is much higher than any unexpected risk that may arise from cutting it. He has seen many cedars here put out long, unbalanced limbs like this. He did not recommend cabling/bracing though I failed to get his reasoning for that. I suspect he just didn't think it was necessary. He will be out in a couple weeks to do the deed. In the meantime, if anyone thinks this is a bad plan, I hope you will say so and explain why. I appreciate all your feedback.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

My local arborist

By any chance, is that Ted Harbourt or Murv Alleman?

 

[Mick Dempsey]

Thanks to all who commented here with their recommendations. My local arborist (TCIA and ISA certified and TRAQ certified) came by today, and his recommendation is to cut off the top third of the long limb. He showed me exactly where he would cut it. His primary concern was the leverage the wind would have on that portion of the limb, and high winds during hurricane season are definitely a concern here. His view is that the risk of leaving the limb as it is is much higher than any unexpected risk that may arise from cutting it. He has seen many cedars here put out long, unbalanced limbs like this. He did not recommend cabling/bracing though I failed to get his reasoning for that. I suspect he just didn't think it was necessary. He will be out in a couple weeks to do the deed. In the meantime, if anyone thinks this is a bad plan, I hope you will say so and explain why. I appreciate all your feedback.

Fwiw, I think that’s sound advice.

 

[DSMc]

Fwiw, I think that’s sound advice.

So do I.

 

[oldoakman]

Dang, and I was looking forward to a road trip..