9 Year old Live Oak Tree: Should it stay or go

15 years ago

We have 9 year old live oak (it is tall)in a 20 foot diameter raised bed. Pic attached. This summer, we noticed the paver patio has quite a few raised and sinking spots. The windsor stones around the bed are also becoming "wavy". I love this tree, as it is beautiful and provides much needed shade for the paver patio and brick house. We did some re-leveling to some area of the pavers to the worst areas. There are also exposed roots above ground, on the backside of the planter.

It took 9 years to get to where it was, which was not that bad of shape. If I have to make repairs here and there every 9 years, that is ok.

I have not spoken to an arborist but a relative who teaches forrestry biometrics at an east Texas University recommended I might want to cut it down.

Advice Please

Laura

{{gwi:332075}}

Featured Answer

dricha

15 years ago

If you were to cut down every tree that had limbs growing over houses, the urban forest would be greatly reduced. It is common place for live oak branches to be over structures in Texas. I'm a arborist and would not cut it down until someone looks at it in person.

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Comments (18)

Embothrium
15 years ago
Looks like you have room to lift part of the pavement and expand the planter out farther to accommodate the increasing thickness of the roots.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
the beauty of the brick ... is your ability to fix it without a jackhammer ....

not familiar at all with live oak per se ... but that wont stop me talking about trees ... lol

first.... what more important .. the patio or the tree ... i vote patio .. seeing the setting ...

my problem is ... your assumption that this is going to be once every 9 years.. i bet not ... now that the tree has hit its young prime.. i wouldnt be surprised if you arent out there at least once per year .... so the issue becomes... when is that going to be TOO MUCH work ...

next.. i would be concerned with the future potential of this thing falling on your hose.. and to be overly dramatic.. KILLING YOU IN YOUR SLEEP ... lol .. or is it next to the neighbors house in the second pic .. kind of hard to tell ... i suppose it depends on your feelings regarding the neighbors ...

obviously .. there is no hurry to do anything right now... but the key for me.. is ... MAKING THE DECISION BEFORE I HAVE TO PAY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR REMOVAL ...

right now.. it looks like you could probably
take it down yourself .... but in a year or two.. you will be forking over some real money ...

you might want to invest in a couple opinions from tree peeps ... as to what their thoughts are about it ... i mean local people who can see it in situ ...

there are probably better .. smaller trees .. that will give you the shade you want.. without overhanging the house ... or ruining the patio ...

we have had this discussion with live oak before ... as i said.. its not my specialty ... and the live oak peeps swear by them ... and usually correct my presumptions about them ... but i still dont like trees hanging over the house ... bad dreams.. lol ...

good luck

ken
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Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
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Fist I'd like to say I love the back yard! It looks great with a tree that size in that spot and the rest is pretty nifty as well.

I second Ken's vote regarding the tree being removed. On the laptop I don't have photoshop, otherwise I'd get a pic of a mature live oak and paste it into that spot. You'll just have to imagine.

The oak lovers will no doubt mention how strong, durable, and perfect they are, but it's still a tree. Trust me, I know the joys of having a house with 3 white ash (the baseball bat strong, "perfect" street tree of Missouri) planted 15 feet or so away.

IF you plan on moving in 5 maybe 10 years no big deal. The next owners will have the spreading giant to pay to have pruned and inspected yearly for any 4in branch ready to fall and puncture the ceiling of their child's room.

What are the ornamental trees of the south? Around here a mainline japanese maple usually ends up doing well in such spots.
dricha
15 years ago
You can redo the pavers from time to time but it would be hard to replace the tree. I say you should keep the tree. It looks like a real hot spot there without the tree. I really think you can work with it. I'm not sure where your relative is coming from. Did he tell you why you should cut it down?

David in N.TX.
brandon7 TN_zone7
15 years ago
Ditto what Ken said. In my opinion this is a case of the right tree in the wrong place.
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
15 years ago
{{gwi:332078}}

{{gwi:332079}}

Both are beautiful live oaks and that is a beautiful patio you have there. I just don't think they can coexist w/o long term maintenance and some risk. Many beautiful trees will stay more appropriately sized.
alabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama
15 years ago
I say remove it, not because it will get too big, but because the branching structure of it is bad. Your tree will have lots of ingrown bark as it gets older, and I have seen them split right down the middle when they are like that.
benjaminxxl
15 years ago
yes, i would also take the tree down.
I think "Umbrella-trees" (sorry, i am from germany and i dont know how you call them) like Catalpa bignonioides 'Nana' or Robinia pseudoacacia 'Umbraculifera' would fit perfect. If you prefer oaks there are also oaks with that growth habit.
Look at the the link. There is a nice mature Catalpa bignonioides 'Nana'.

Benjamin

Here is a link that might be useful: Catalpa bignonioides 'Nana'
scotjute Z8
15 years ago
zookeeper, that is not enough space (the circle of bricks)for a live oak. In the next 10 years it will probably outgrow that space and you will have more patio paver trouble. Which do You want, the patio as it is or the tree?
Not sure exactly how close the tree is to your house, but if there is one oak tree that you could have close to your house it would be the live oak. It is very wind resistant and the wood from these trees was used to make Old Ironsides because of its physical properties. They usually survive huricanes very well. That said they also can die of a fungus depending on where your are at. Then you are faced with removing it.
We have two 12" diameter ones at 24 ft. from house. Every other year I prune lower branches to direct them away from the house, other wise they would grow over the roof. Eventually the upper limbs may do the same, but we're not there yet. There are hundreds of houses in Waco built just as close to large live oaks as yours seems to be without too much obvious hassle, so it can be done.
If it were me, and you need the shade, and tree is in open with no other competition for sun, I would leave just the middle fork so you can have a balanced tree, one that grows limbs out in all directions and doesn't lean toward the house. With every other year pruning you should be able to keep limbs off of the house without much hassle. These trees typically don't get over 45' tall unless they are in a lot of competition for sun. If you're from a drier part of the country where trees seldom exceed 35' you might leave all 3 forks.
iforgotitsonevermind
15 years ago
One thing I never could understand about dallas is that area is obsessed with brick- everything is brick yet it gets close to 200 degrees in the summer. Use more trees and green space, less brick and it will feel less like a pizza oven.
brandon7 TN_zone7
15 years ago
The eventual enormous size of the tree compared to the small space, the large amount of leaf litter that will end up in the pool with a large tree, the inevitable regular maintenance required to keep the patio in good condition, and the possible structure issues of the tree planted right next to the house led me to say that this is a case of the right tree in the wrong place. Removing this tree doesn't mean there couldn't be a more suitable replacement or even more trees in other locations to compensate for the loss. Why deal with all the negatives when you don't have to, unless, as Toronado3800 mentioned, you are moving in a few years. Then that could change everything.
alabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama
15 years ago
Something like a big "Natchez" crepe myrtle would go perfect in that spot.
stalks_05
15 years ago
One of the most beautiful trees I know is the Live Oak. I would go out of my way when crossing the campus at the U of Ga. just to walk under one those live oaks. To this day I haven't decided whether the Live Oak is deciduous or evergreen. What do you think?
I would leave your Live Oak; some people would kill just to have a live oak like yours, in my opinion.
iforgotitsonevermind
15 years ago
Tree in the wrong place? To me, it looks like a pool in the wrong place. âº Definitely going to be litter issues unless you have room to build a screen pool enclosure. Not sure if those are common in texas or not.
lou_spicewood_tx
15 years ago
Looks like Q. fusiformis. They tend to have multiple trunks in the wild but I don't recall ever seeing one in residential area like yours. What would happen if you get hit by really bad ice storm? Would that be able to survive?

If you're going to replace it... shantung maple would be a good choice. Grows fast but doesn't get too big. Nice fall color. Someone mentioned Natchez crape myrtle but it always blooms and would get into the pool so not such good idea. What else... What about redbud? Grows relatively fast. I'm fond of Texas Whitebud for it's white flowering in early spring. If you're looking for evergreen type, Eastern Red Cedar may work but it may grow too slow for you.
vancleaveterry
15 years ago
I agree with Bama tree hugger in that the tree has potential weak crotches and could split thirty years down the road...or never. Live oaks are tough, sometimes they thrive in the strangest shapes. But the shape of yours is less than ideal.

A live oak pruned to be strong and pruned to be high enough over a roof, provides wonderful, safe shade.

But they get very large in every respect. A fifty year old tree will often have surface roots as large as that entire patio area. The roots will eventualy turn the patio into a jumble. Perhaps you could build a wood deck a foot or two above the roots.

Go to the nearest fifty to eighty year old live oak and picture those roots coming up under your patio. That should help you make a decision.
Pamchesbay
15 years ago
I love live oaks but when I saw how close this tree is to your house, I don't see how this can work over the long haul. You know how large these trees grow - horizontally Several posters who are knowledgeable about live oaks express concerns about the structural integrity of this tree.

I think Alabama, Lou, Terry and the others are probably right. But this is an important decision and we are not on site. An on site visit by an expert is better than photos.
I favor drina's advice. Before you make a decision, get a site visit and an opinion from an arborist.

Let us know what you learn.

(I planted a dozen 10-12 foot live oaks last fall, none that close to my house, so I have an interest in what you learn.)

Pam

9 Year old Live Oak Tree: Should it stay or go

dricha

Comments (18)

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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