This is what bad tree structure looks like

[treedimensional]

Now, can you spot WHY?

[NitaX]

It doesn't look even. The left side looks to be missing some limbs to keep the tree from looking full. And the limbs look weak to me. Also, was this limbed too far up?

[treedimensional]

Jun 23, 2012 14:15:01 GMT -5 NitaX said:

It doesn't look even. The left side looks to be missing some limbs to keep the tree from looking full. And the limbs look weak to me. Also, was this limbed too far up?

That's very good; you're looking hard and headed in the right direction. But when scrutinizing tree structure, think of function, rather than aesthetics.
I'll give you a hint: imagine the same branch arrangement at maturity, then imagine that tree during a hurricane, and how the structure would be affected by forces and dynamic loads.
Tree structure is assessed by stability. How well will the structure serves the tree? Is the branch structure stable enough to contribute to the tree's long term survival, or will it's structure break apart in a storm and hinder it's survival? Does the structure increase the hazard potential of the tree over time, or not?
Thanks for playing! You're good at this.

[kaylie]

I'm from Florida originally and have seen many trees bite the dust. Is it because the tree is way too top heavy? The very top branches seem to be the fullest and there doesn't seem to be enough spread horizontally at the bottom portion of where the branches start.

I think the root structure would affect it as well - I've noticed that the trees with shallow roots that spread wide tend to do better than trees that root straight down. With that box thing around the bottom, there's no way the roots can spread anywhere but down.

[dirtyred]

It looks like the tree bifurcates into two trunks, or there are some funky branches that make it look that way. If those are branches, they should be growing out, not up.

[mouse]

I want to see more of what the fork looks like. The leaves are covering up a lot, but are the main branches all splitting off at roughly the same joint? Because I've seen that kind of pressure just peel a tree in two once the branches get heavy enough.

[treedimensional]

You guys are great! You spotted all the critical structural flaws!
Kaylie- the tree is indeed top heavy, which makes it less stabile. And bonus for recognizing the importance of below-ground structure. Very astute!
Dirtyred and Mouse- bravo for naming the split trunk as the primary structural flaw! Research has proven conclusively that trees with forked trunks are highly prone to split in storms, meaning that this tree will become more hazardous over time. You would not want this to be in front of your house if it was 50' tall. Don't buy trees with forked trunks, unless it's a species that will never grow big enough to become a hazard.

This is GOOD structure:

This tree has one central leader (trunk) and evenly spaced scaffold branches. Even though this tree is still top-heavy now, it will outgrow that. The lowest branches are not even 6' off the ground, and they can't move. That's as high as they will ever be unless they die or get cut off.
Good job everyone. :Y:

[treedimensional]

This is how trees with split trunks fall apart in stroms:

There's nothing you can do now but remove the tree. How sad!
Now go outside and look at your trees. Do they need any structural pruning? I bet they could use some help.

[treedimensional]

Quick visual comparison guide:

[NitaX]

TD - I didn't think about the forked trunk, but I have certainly seen that in my area. We get some windstorms and the last major windstorm, hundreds of trees were destroyed like this.

[dirtyred]

I just convinced my parents to remove the 60' oak with the split trunk growing 15 feet from their house!

[treedimensional]

Red, there's always cables and braces....
doesn't necessarily have to go!

[dirtyred]

I had them talk to an arborist about that possibility first, but because of the way the trunk splits (down at the base of the tree) and the massiveness of the tree, it was recommended to just remove it.

[mrsreynolds4]

Back at the house we rented, there was a huge cottonwood with a split trunk hovering over our bedrooms - and it was diseased with some kind of rot in the trunk where the tree split as well. The landlord refused to take care of it, and after consulting with an arborist, it was one of the reasons we moved.

TreeDimensional - Do you have a fertilizer(s) or something you'd recommend? I've honestly never thought about it, but our neighbors mentioned it regarding our mature Honey Locust (which shades them as well). I think I should do something for my fruit trees (apple & crabapple) too.

[treedimensional]

Jun 26, 2012 7:45:47 GMT -5 mrsreynolds4 said:

Back at the house we rented, there was a huge cottonwood with a split trunk hovering over our bedrooms - and it was diseased with some kind of rot in the trunk where the tree split as well. The landlord refused to take care of it, and after consulting with an arborist, it was one of the reasons we moved.

TreeDimensional - Do you have a fertilizer(s) or something you'd recommend? I've honestly never thought about it, but our neighbors mentioned it regarding our mature Honey Locust (which shades them as well). I think I should do something for my fruit trees (apple & crabapple) too.

The important thing to remember about plants is that they are autotrophs. They make their own food. They don't need us to "feed" them. What we do with fertilizers is supplement the soil nutrients. So before you apply fertilizers, you do a soil test to make sure you need them. Most of the time, you don't.
The #1 thing to apply is water on young plants to establish them. A mature honey locust will be fine.
If your trees start to develop structural defects, prune them while they're small, so the wounds will be small, and the trees will quickly seal over the cuts. Just be a good steward and let them grow into beautiful, SAFE shademakers.
Kudos for caring about your trees. :Y: