Top or not?

  • Thread starter edenarb
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edenarb

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Moved house a few months back and in the grouds one of the sequoia's has about 4 or 5' of dieback on the top. Other than that it looks in reasonable condition appart from a bit of general deadwooding required.

Not exactly a common 'garden tree' over here and to be honest I think I did some deadwooding on one about 20yrs ago and that will be all I have ever done on these.

My initial thoughts where to deadwood and reduce the top slightly to a healthy union, but I would appreciate the thoughts of those of you who actually work on them!

I think i read somewhere that top dieback is common, true or not?

Thanx

ps its about 110' in hight and about 6' dbh
 
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Ohhh forgot - no you can't just come and fell it Pete :D
 
Sounds like a reasonable course of action, Richard. Cutting out deadwood has never done any harm that I've ever noticed. Although some of the West coast guys will be online later and they will have more specific advice, I'm sure.
 
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MasterBlaster said:
Can you just leave it alone?
Click to expand...

Yep, its about 50yards from the house and surrounded by other trees. Im not fussed either way, just really want to do what is best for the tree.

We have been asked if we would open the garden up to the public a few times a year as there are one or two specimen trees in the garden so public safety may need considering (but that will be a year or two off yet).

At the moment crows are useing the top of the tree as a perch before roosting at night, so it great for checking the zero in my .22 rifle :)
 
I'd just cut the dead top back to some healthy looking green. If more dies later you can do it again without having to take a big dead top
 
Dead tops can make great bird perches, as you note. Maybe higher value there than in deadwooding for health.

Best to look toward the belowground tree, and try to stop further dieback by growing more roots.
 
I always wonder. When a big lead tears out, dies ect.

Is it better to cut back to the collar or like you would with a small reduction cut. Or to leave some sort of "stub" so the decay doesn't spread below the living area as easy.

I don't know.
 
brendonv said:
I always wonder. When a big lead tears out, dies ect.

Is it better to cut back to the collar or like you would with a small reduction cut. Or to leave some sort of "stub" so the decay doesn't spread below the living area as easy.

I don't know.
Click to expand...

If there's a collar, I'd say cut to it but not into it. If there isn't just look for the most natural spot to take it. Stubs are ugly imo.
 
Stubs are terrible, I agree. But when the top of a large tree blows out, is it good to cut to the next branch? I'm talking 12/15" +. If a little stub of sound wood is left above the next branch, will it impede the decay from getting down below the branch and weakening the now horizontal "leader".

I see it a lot, but I just think it's because it's lack of a bigger saw to make a cut, mostly on roadside trees and alike.

Most of the time it should be a take down, in reality.
 
Something along the lines of this tree.

Is it still standing/benefiting from the dead sections?

21631d1254898149-general-tree-pics-old-oak-blankney-001.jpg
[/IMG][/IMG]
 
I'll be interested to hear what others think.

I don't think it helps leaving a stub in those situations. I think it's best to take it right above the live limb.
 
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You like a stub on top? In thinking it helps to take longer for the decay to travel down? I can see that thinking. My thought on not leaving a stub on top is that by cutting closer to the living branch you're cutting to a more 'vital or alive' part of the tree and have a better chance for compartmentalization or a grow back of a new leader.
 
Done that on some of my mistletoe removals... what you describe Squish.. and they seem to heal ok... Need to go check on the one oak in my front yard too this year to keep tabs on how well.. Diagonal cut just above a living branch collar...
fig6c.jpg


On a Redwood or Sequoia it should just grow something new from somewhere and the top, being dead and removed, probably won't harm the tree.

Did I just hear a tree scream?:|:

Gerry would know...
 
The red would indicate immediate Decay. How much is left to actually hold that horizontal limb up?

If you left a stub, one would think the decay would take a hell of a lot longer to reach that area.
 
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