Co dom pine, sound union-ish options please

[Twentyeight Trees]

Hey guys, 

 

I’ve come across and interesting pine tree this week and I’m not totally sure what to recommend so I’d like some other opinions please. 
 

the pine is co dominant at 4m, the union is sound, perhaps too much so! The angle of which the larger stem is coming out looks like a potential hazard down the line, a lot of weight at the top. The tree is approx 15m in height and the base of the tree is 4m to the dwelling so failure would cause some pretty serious damage. 
 

I'm leaning toward reducing by 3.5-4m to reduce sail. Potentially adding brace also. 
 

or brace with no reduction, but I also feel like the stem behind isn’t big enough to provide support and it may also fail. 
 

bit of a head scratcher, I would appreciate other opinions on this one please 

 

thanks

tim

[Mick Dempsey]

Been topped or lost it’s top in a storm a good few years back.

I reckon the crotch would have rot in it.

 

Seeing as there’s plenty of others of the same species, and it’s situation re. property, if I was asked to quote, I’d offer to take it out or walk away.

 

Plenty of others may disagree.

[Mark Bolam]

Same as Mick.

I’ve yet to see a pine respond well to a reduction anyway.

[Stubby]

Looks like included bark in the union . As Mick and Mark say , make it fire wood . 

[openspaceman]

23 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

Same as Mick.

I’ve yet to see a pine respond well to a reduction anyway.

I agree that reduction is pointless and won't achieve anything but the tree was topped long ago from the sight of the stub and I would not expect much rot at that point. If it gets felled a photo of the joint cross section would be interesting.

 

What has happened is that two branches from below the cut have taken over and then fought for apical dominance. As such I would expect the union to be strong, not like a pollarded broadleaf where the union of adventitious shoots would be poor.

[peds]

Fell it, take the Y in a decent chunk and turn it into a catapult for launching watermelons into hippo/gorilla/etc enclosures at a zoo. 

 

As others have said, I would recommend to the owner to either keep it or don't. I wouldn't offer to dick around with it.

[peds]

12 hours ago, Twentyeight Trees said:

 

 

That said... is there anything living in that hole, 2m up the right-hand stem?

 

The Y union looks grand, but I'd want to stick my hand as far into that hole as possible before recommending anything, one way or another. If it's surface or superficial, grand, leave it; but if it's deep and growing... maybe an alternative route is needed.

 

If it's filled with something exciting like bats or owls or squirrels... one route could be to take the top off it a bit above the hole and leave a coronet cut, preserving the existing habitat and creating a new one at the same time, and leave the other stem to take over.

 

That's what I'd be chatting about to the owner instead of reductions and bracing, but then again, it isn't my shed underneath the tree...

[Mick Dempsey]

3 hours ago, openspaceman said:

I agree that reduction is pointless and won't achieve anything but the tree was topped long ago from the sight of the stub and I would not expect much rot at that point. If it gets felled a photo of the joint cross section would be interesting.

 

Yes it would be (interesting)

[daltontrees]

19 hours ago, Twentyeight Trees said:

bit of a head scratcher, I would appreciate other opinions on this one please 

 

What have you been asked? Has the owner said, what do you think I should do with this tree? There has to be some objective. Does he want to keep it but is worried about risk? Does he want to get rid of it but feels bad about it? What?

[daltontrees]

9 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

Plenty of others may disagree.

Let me be the first. We don't even know what the owner has asked.