Redwood, Topping dead half?

[BOTS]

Just looked at a 100ft coastal redwood were the top 1/4 is done, dead, the rest is green to ground, well a few dead branches at half way.

My question is should I just top the dead 1/4 out and hope it recovers, or leave it alone.

Ive seen a few redwoods in my area were they topped dead out and it survived...guess I anwsered my own question lol

hope Jerry B chimes in......

 

[MasterBlaster]

If there are no targets in the area, I'd leave it alone and let it become a habitat spot.

 

[gf beranek]

As Butch said. Does that help?

 

[BOTS]

Thanks butch and jerry!

It would hit the deck/ home if it went over

 

[Tucker943]

Snip snip then.

 

[Altissimus]

...in my brief time living in Santa Cruz long before I ever ran saws or climbed Trees...the deadwooding, removal of alternate whorls, and topping was quite popular in the Coast Redwoods near buildings...locals said it would lessen hazard and wind resistance thus buying the Tree many more years

 

[MasterBlaster]

Snip snip then.

Don't be shy to leave a bit of a stub to protect the living wood.

 

[treelooker]

...in my brief time living in Santa Cruz long before I ever ran saws or climbed Trees...the deadwooding, removal of alternate whorls, and topping was quite popular in the Coast Redwoods near buildings...locals said it would lessen hazard and wind resistance thus buying the Tree many more years

But if dead branches are holding up green branches then leave em huh?

 

[flushcut]

I have absolutely no experience with redwoods but can't they stick around for decades, if not longer, when dead?

 

[MasterBlaster]

But, there are targets. Better safe than sorry.

 

[flushcut]

I read that. This tread brings up the arborist conundrum: what's right for the tree and what's right for the home owner.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Top the dead and watch. there will be a new top someday

 

[Tucker943]

I read that. This tread brings up the arborist conundrum: what's right for the tree and what's right for the home owner.

Dead wood is just that, boss. There's no resurrecting it.

 

[flushcut]

But but the spotted owl! LOL

 

[Tucker943]

The spotted owl is a delicacy.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Make the owl pay for the roof then, or at least rent.

 

[flushcut]

Now that's just silly! Owls only have tootsie pops, no money.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Ah one... two .... ah three.... Three......

 

[Jake Andrews]

I read that. This tread brings up the arborist conundrum: what's right for the tree and what's right for the home owner.

Is anything we do right for the tree?
That's a bigger conundrum.
J

 

[treelooker]

If what we do keeps em growin, that sounds right to me!

Good tip on cutting to the next node out, to slow drying of the living tissue. 2 uses for the "stub": pull up a lateral branch toward vertical and lash it to the stub, to encourage a new top, and/or attach some bird nesting habitat to it.
orrr...weave brush onto the top, and make em a lil bed!

 

[SouthSoundTree]

There's a spotted owl bumper sticker in a bar out near the coast

If you don't like logging, wipe your ass on a spotted owl.



Remember you are not making an internodal cut without regard to the health of the tree, nor ignoring future growth. You are not "TOPPING' the tree. Hazard deadwood, I'd say.

You see that a dead top frequently enough on big doug-firs here. A bettle that likes the more succulent top of mature trees, I've been told by an very experienced professional. I forget the name.

Wonder if the cause is drought stress in the redwood. Is there a root cause being addressed?

From what I'm told, State Parks had a lot of dead topped firs with the tops cut out. Maybe the climber didn't get out of the green into fully dead wood, with a big dead top over their heads, maybe they did. A lot of them died after. As said, be sure you're not cutting into the green. Better a stub than a flush cut, IMO.