Dead limbs?

[lxskllr]

I like how 250' isn't tall. I don't think the local iron sequoia is 250' :^D

 

[gf beranek]

The Montgomery Giant is 110 feet taller than the Treehouse, and much bigger around. Truly a 'Sequoia' size Coast Redwood. I never measured it's volume, but would guess it better than 300,000 bf.

 

[lxskllr]

I'd like to see those trees sometime. There's nothing even close out this way. Even for girth, our biggest oaks are dwarfed by the PNW trees.

 

[cory]

All in one tree? Holy carp!!!!

Hey young feller..... .. The treehouse project was an absolutely epic thread on Treebuzz back when it happened. Awesomeness. Lots of photos of roping down big deadwood over a fragile building. Mark Chisholm was heavily involved too. I would venture to say it was one of the first big climbs that came together strictly due to the advent of tree guys on the innerweb.

 

[SeanKroll]

Young trees, even slow growers like oak, change and respond quickly. Dead wood in them just gets in the way of that growth and development.

Increased light penetration pushing sprouting or growth?

 

[DMc]

In some situations I suppose, but it is more complex and diverse. I have witnessed stands of relatively young Ponderosa pine on properties within the forest interface that have noticeably healthier growth than neighboring stands. The only thing different was lower dead wood removal.

I actually don't fully understand the physiological processes involved in a tree's response to the presence of dead wood, but they do have one. My simplistic mind suspects that even if dead wood is not directly interfering with growth, it's prescence does not go unnoticed. It is something that the tree needs to deal with that, barring the aforementioned situations, is not bringing in more than it takes.

 

[kevin bingham]

He worked for me for two years. . Hired him right out of college.
Agree with him 100%. But its a hard sell. As i always told him, There isnt shit to do if you do tree work for trees, plus trees dont have any money, neither do any of the little critters that need them. Capitalism does not put trees first ever.

Hes a good kid. Very articulate. I love the graphics that he has been doing. Hes got a good little thing going these days.

Its a very interesting question.

One arborist I know says taking all the dead out of a hemlock struggling with adelgid will really benefit the tree and it will come back strongly in conjunction with spraying. With that in mind, I have thoroughly dead wooded the big hemlock in my back yard. This tree has taken some storm damage over the years despite being well trimmed and cared for, always due to heavy wet snows. As I take deadwood out of it, I'm thinking now there will be less for the snow to stick to and less dead to block light to the live limbs (both being small incremental improvements) and less deadwood material for a squirrel to make a nest next season ( I wasn't happy about the damage done nest building this season as a good amount of live growth was ripped off for nest material).

In the classic Pironne text on trees, I believe he advocated leaving a dead limb on top of a tree for the sake of a bird perch.

Isn't conventional thinking that removing deadwood removes an entity that can foster insects or disease that could harm living parts of the tree?

Google provided this thoughtful and deep article by a climbing arborist (in the Detroit area, maybe @kevin bingham knows him) Does removing dead wood actually help trees? — Tree First - https://www.treefirst.org/removing-deadwood

 

[cory]

Good stuff

 

[lxskllr]

A question... Is splitting the difference good, bad, or neutral(assuming appearance is irrelevant)? When I did my oak last week, I left significant stubs. In one case, it was because there was still some life left near the stem, though I imagine the dying will progress. In other cases, it was due to uncertainty where to cut. One branch in particular had what looked like an extensive collar going up the branch.

My thought process was assuming my belief that trees can care for themselves is correct, removing some wood probably won't hurt if enough is left towards the stem for the tree to take care of it itself. Reasonable?

 

[SeanKroll]

Better a stub than flush.
At the collar is best, in most cases.
Sometimes there is no collar, like trunk to trunk unions.

Pics?

 

[lxskllr]

I didn't take any pics, and it's too hot to climb for amusement. With the caveat that it's been shown my recollection of tree attributes can be faulty, I want to say the limb that had the extended collar had 6" of collar material, and I left a couple inches of normal wood beyond that.

 

[SeanKroll]

Sometimes trees have extended collars, especially big spruce. Commonly to are generally the same per species. Madrones also have extended collars.

In a bit of time, couple years, you will be able to see the difference, clearly. Swollen collar. Dormant branch buds popping.

 

[Bermy]

I have started to leave big long stubs from time to time in old trees. Rather than cut a big branch right back to the trunk collar leaving a big wound that is unlikely to completely callus over, I cut it either to a node if I can detect one or a reasonable sized branch if there is one. (And often smaller than the 1/3 'rule)
Trees 'decomission' branches all the time...leading to the deadwood we started talking about. I reason that a big old tree can manage to 'decomission' a big long stub, compartmentalize where it needs to and turn it into dead wood well enough on its own without me cutting it off and having to deal with that large wound in close proximity to the trunk, especially is there are existing wounds/ defects in the general area already
Think of storm damage, shattered branches that don't get seen to for many years...trees deal with them pretty well on their own...safety reasons aside, sometimes mimicking nature is better than cleaning EVERYTHING up within an inch of its life.

 

[DMc]

A question... Is splitting the difference good, bad, or neutral(assuming appearance is irrelevant)?

What you are asking is the basis for most discussion and research on this subject. Are we helping or harming? It is not a simple question.

Virtually all organisums can be optimized. Accomplishing that takes knowledge and an understanding of what is being used to define, good and bad.

When you take something even as apparently superficial as 'appearance' and look closely at the 'form follows function' principles' clearly there is a connection, even there.

Sadly, because most arborcicultural work is based solely on the removal of components and the need to make money, much of the work done is not beneficial. That should not be misinterpreted to mean it can't be.

Letting 'nature take its coarse' appears to be a recommendation used for things not directly involving us.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Sometimes trees have extended collars, especially big spruce. Commonly to are generally the same per species. Madrones also have extended collars.

In a bit of time, couple years, you will be able to see the difference, clearly. Swollen collar. Dormant branch buds popping.

Our bkue oaks as well. Compartmentalized and completely sealed out 6 plus inches on some. Conical in shape most.

 

[cory]

I have started to leave big long stubs from time to time in old trees.

Same here. Good results so far.

 

[stig]

Me too.