Large dead wood areas on tree trunks. Ideas.

[theXman]

Every now and then, there is a situation, where a tree has a huge patch of dead tissue on it's trunk. Often if this area died slowly, the tree is still healthy and going strong.

Such as a slow dying area from a large girdling root, or pinched V-crotch.

In those situations, when the bark falls off or I peal it off, I have wondered for years if there is something I can do besides just expose it to the sun and air.

Now, sun exposure and air (by taking off loose bark) works great for quite a long time, but I've seen that many years later, the first inch of the outside can be hard, dry and strong, but after an inch or more inward, the wood decays, losing it's strength.

Now linseed oil or boiled linseed oil works great on outdoor wood carvings, so I've been wondering for some time if this would be a good product to use on a huge patch of dead trunk.

About a month ago, I sprayed it on my deodora cedar that has an exposed dead woody trunk with just a strip of live material keeping the tree alive. I did it heavy too. No change in tree health, well, actually this year it's growing better than usual.

I won't experiment of my customers trees, so I'm wondering if anyone has tried it before.

Come to think of it, I have two tulip trees at my house with huge dead strips, due to sun scalding and me pulling them over to make a living bridge, I could test it there too.

My reason for looking to preserve wood longer of course, is that when the area is huge, we need a lot of years before the tree will callous over that area.

 

[guymayor]

Whatever happened to the NEWTS?

Network for Experimental Wound Treatment and Sealant?





Has any research ever been done on treating/sealing trunk (not branch) wounds?

 

[theXman]

Didn't know what you were talking about, searched those key words, found a 2004 thread on arborist site. I read about 12 pages of "discussion", most of it not very informative.

everyone arguing about sealants and stupid stuff.

finally toward the end, someone gave the idea of Citronella Oil, Guy, you said a natural oil is probably the right direction, but no one was smart enough to continue the conversation about that, a shame.

Linseed oil soaks through the wood, not a top sealer, I think this is most important.
The water-repelling nature is advantageous. Coming from a plant seed, should be better for something living, verses a man made chemical, I would think.

Why do cedar tree's deadwood last for 80 or 100 years?

Cedar wood has hi oil content in it, I think, right?


Like I said, it works great on chainsaw carved artwork outside in the weather, so it's bound to hinder decay of dead wood cells on living trees, it's wood, it's the same thing. But there is a component there that is important to consider, the living part. Is it bad for living tissue? Might callous be harmed by it? I doubt it, but possible.

Anyone ever experiment?

Guy, you tell me you've not tried any natural oils?

 

[guymayor]

Yes a lot of carvers use linseed oil; report attached. no reason not to experiment on most trunk wounds imo little to lose and much to gain.

 

[RopeShield]

Wound treatments over the years from what i have read have one real issue and that is the information has always been more qualitative than quantitative.

Air and moisture are the limiting factors and if the application of a material to prevent decay is to be applied then those factors must also be controlled for our efforts not to be in vain.

 

[Mr_B]

Cedar, at least eastern red cedar, has high amounts of phenolic compounds in the heartwood too. Same with red oak, walnut, etc.. Maybe you could apply some naturally occuring toxic stuff like that in addition to oils.