Giant Cedar Tree Splitting Trunk

[JRoth]

Hi all! I have a big beautiful cedar tree on my property and it’s splitting directly down the center of the trunk. The split is getting noticeably deeper down the trunk, over about a year. What steps should I take to care for it and prevent it from getting worse? 

thanks in advance for your help! 

Edited January 19, 2020 by JRoth
Pictures added

[MattyF]

I’d rod brace the two stems then cable brace the canopy.

This beech I did 3 years ago and you can’t tell you had to winch the stems back together and brace with three rods and cable brace , all bracing seems to be enveloping in to the stem and the top cables look good.... had to visit the site last Friday due to another kretz beech failing but I was watching this one in the gail’s and it seems fine... problem is we are arborists or claim to be ! And if the tree fails in a court of law we are not structural engineers so if there is high risks targets most choose to fell.
Your tree is a completely different species and has different faults but I would not rule out those options.

[Gary Prentice]

On 19/01/2020 at 23:45, Thesnarlingbadger said:

You may be able to brace further up but it may be money after old rope.

after the great storm

 

e 80's I had a lot of opportunities to inspect old cables and rods. in trees that had pretty much most of their crowns just blown out. 

 

I can't remember more than 1 or two where a cable itself had failed with the failed limb/stem being held in the air . So in a way they were fit for purpose in preventing limbs falling on targets below. BTW these tree were mostly in Cambridge University college gardens and of many different (some more exotic) species

 

3 hours ago, TMac said:

Concur on Macrocarpa Mick. Strapping it is putting a tissue on a broken limb imh. It's weight could be offset, brought way back & let it go epicormic...

|definitely consider the potential benefits of reduction/reducing static and dynamic loading as an option

 

[Rough Hewn]

Drop it, mill it, build a bench and table to put next to the newly replanted cedar.
[emoji106]

[IronMike]

If you could manage to upload some photos to help that would be great. Without seeing it, it will be hard to know exactly what’s happening. It doesn’t sound good though I must admit, I’d imagine it may well need removed entirely, but there are many factors to consider such as proximity to buildings etc.

[Dan Maynard]

Having said that the advice is pretty likely to be to get someone reputable to have a look at it, so may be helpful to say where you are. Increasing cracks aren't generally a thing to ignore.

[JRoth]

I’ve added pictures of the tree in original post ?

 

 

Edited January 19, 2020 by JRoth

[Thesnarlingbadger]

How tall is the tree? I would say that if its getting noticeably worse I'd be concerned depending on where the tree is in relation to buildings.

 You may be able to brace further up but it may be money after old rope.

[JRoth]

It’s about 15 meters tall

[Mick Dempsey]

FWIW I think that’s a macrocarpa but that doesn’t really affect your decision.

 

Its clearly on its way home, but if you’re prepared to pay someone to strap it up or cable it or whatever, you could keep it for a few years yet.

 

As has been asked, what’s the tree’s situation? If it failed what would it damage?

[TMac]

Concur on Macrocarpa Mick. Strapping it is putting a tissue on a broken limb imh. It's weight could be offset, brought way back & let it go epicormic...