Hate to Say We Told You So ...

In our last blog post (Prune in June) one of our arborists discussed the incredible amount of growth we've seen this year on many trees. His warning about the importance of lightening the load on some of these trees was right on target -- as this unfortunate beech tree found out.

This Beech tree lost half of its canopy when a major branch
split from the weight of unusual spring growth.

According to the owners, the tree had been declining somewhat over time. This spring, for the first time in years, its foliage was lush and magnificent. Then - CRACK. The owners were lucky that it missed their house.

In all honesty, pruning alone wouldn't have prevented this damage -- the tree  needed to be cabled and braced because of the size and weight of the "branch"  (really a second trunk, which is never a good idea for a big tree). For a typical tree however, pruning some of the branches could remove enough weight to prevent this kind of damage.

What is the future of this tree? Not good. While it might survive the loss of the branch (with a little help from Almstead), aesthetically it's lost half of its canopy. I wouldn't be surprised if, within a few years, the owners opt for removal.

Jeff Delaune, Almstead arborist, New Rochelle