We lost a big one

Nancy Howell · Aug 11, 2009

This is one of our large oaks. We noticed a couple of weeks ago that a big limb was dying. Now, the whole tree is gone. I took a close look at it and I think in the thunderstorm the end of July, a big limb cracked and opened up a split which caused the whole tree to die. If you look closely, you can tell the leaves on the left side of the tree are more brown than the rest of the tree.

The tree is 38 inches in diameter and 9 feet 2 inches in circumference. Sure hate to lose trees that big.

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fixerupper · Aug 11, 2009

Wow, lots of shade lost. It takes so long to grow a tree that big that it's a shame to see it go. I'm not familiar with how trees act in Texas, but in Iowa, losing a limb usually doesn't just make a big established tree die in the middle of the summer. Usually they go to sleep in the fall and don't wake up the next spring. Jim

nickg · Aug 11, 2009

looks like plenty of fire wood hope your chainsaw is ready to go.lol

Kruse · Aug 11, 2009

Any chance it got hit by lightning?

teddy52food · Aug 11, 2009

Sounds like it was hit by lightning.

JBruce · Aug 11, 2009

We have lost two big oaks in the last three years. Someone else told me the other day they were losing oaks also.

glennster · Aug 11, 2009

nancy , better check your trees for oak wilt. its real bad news stuff. here is a link
oak wilt

fatbob50 · Aug 11, 2009

I understand how you feel. We have trees up close to the house that shade it in the summer months. Last month during a thunderstorm, one of ours was struck by lightening. We were at the bottom of the hill and felt the strike all the way down there.

fatbob50 · Aug 11, 2009

When a tree gets hit that hard it usually dies. Ours was split down the center about 3 feet and the split continued to grow. It was dangerous where it was so we took it down.

Nancy Howell · Aug 11, 2009

Yes, we've got a big saw. We'll take it down and cut it up for firewood.

Ultradog MN · Aug 11, 2009

Maybe you could invite Joe or the tree farm guy or whatever his name is to come on down and get it living again. wink.

Fergienewbee · Aug 12, 2009

We lost the other half of a large oak a couple weeks ago during a storm. The firs half came down about five years ago. It had a double trunk. Lots of fire wood to cut there as well. The limby walnuts just keep growing. Darn.

We have some good-sized white oaks back in the woods. I hate to cut them because I know how long it takes to replace them. It sure won't be in my lifetime.

Larry in Michigan

GordoSD · Aug 12, 2009

Make lemonade. More moisture for the hay. less shade so more grass.
I think you can sell an oak that size to a hardwood sawmill.Sure make a lot of nice haywagons.

Gordo

1936 · Aug 12, 2009

Oak wilt is not that fast acting and will see dead limbs sticking up in the top of tree for many years.

Now on the other hand the grand state of CA has what is called sudden oak death. This is a much bigger deal the oak wilt.

Now the west coast viewers can tell the rest of the story as Paul would say.

Billy NY · Aug 12, 2009

Strange as it sounds, not difficult to get attached to a favorite or prominent tree like the one in the photo, I hate seeing em keel over especially when you have a nice one in a hedgerow or location where it will leave a big hole. We have a high concentration of Black Cherry around here, and even when they start to lose steam up top and look dead, they hang on for years, got one by my deer stand that must have fell over 30 years ago, most of it is disintegrated into organic matter that is great for the soil, yet there is healthy trunk connected to it, you would never guess it could even live attached by a thread, however if one were to fill in around the stump, raise the grade 1 foot + would kill it off, funny how some things get em and others don't.

It's odd to lose an oak around here, but the Elm's sure have taken a beating with dutch elm disease.

Would be cool to have it milled up if can be done.

Nancy Howell · Aug 12, 2009

Since I think its got a big crack down the middle, don't think milling is an option.

I'll do a closer inspection this w/e and possibly some more pics.

This one isn't the biggest one or my favorite, but still hate to lose it. I'm partial to the hardwoods. (Oaks, hickories, maples)

The biggest one we have measured in what we call a pin oak and is over 4 ft. in diameter.

Mike (WA) · Aug 12, 2009

A crack or split won't prevent milling- the sawyer will just work around it. I'd at least have someone come and look at it, after you get it down. Shame to make firewood out of the main trunk if it could be salvaged.

kyplowboy · Aug 12, 2009

Nancy, I'd cut that log out and shop it around for a while before I started cutting it up in 2' chunks. Might be worth a pretty penny. If nothing else look into getting it cut into boards, you could keep James busy for years building stuff out of lumber out of that log.

Dave

teddy52food · Aug 12, 2009

If the crack is straight & not diagonal, a lot of lumber can be sawed from it. If it is crooked, you may have to cut it to shorter lengths to get the most out of it. A lot of projects use short pieces anyway.

MSJ from MN · Aug 12, 2009

I have a yard fll of trees that big. We have alot of oak wilt where I live in MN. I've lost a few in my woods but none in my yard. Scares me that I may lose some in my yard.

JMS/.MN · Aug 12, 2009

No comment- just wanted to make you smile again, with the similarity of screen names! Time to look into the mirror again!

Firewood · Aug 12, 2009

The desication in the crown looks a lot more like Oak Wilt than it does a structural problem.
In fact it looks like classic Oak Wilt!

What kind of OAK is it? and do you have Oak Wilt in the area? I would call the nearest TX Forest Service office or County Extension to find out a lot more on the local tree issues.
From an old forester.

Firewood · Aug 12, 2009

The desication in the crown looks a lot more like Oak Wilt than it does a structural problem.
In fact it looks like classic Oak Wilt!

What kind of OAK is it? and do you have Oak Wilt in the area? I would call the nearest TX Forest Service office or County Extension to find out a lot more on the local tree issues.
From an old forester.

We lost a big one

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