Need help reviving my tulip poplar

13 years ago

Hi there --

We have a huge (~70 foot) tulip poplar in our backyard. But over the last few years, major branches have been dying off -- and I worry that the whole tree is dying.

We've cut off many of the dead branches, but as you can see from the picture linked below, the crown is very thin, and is getting thinner. Is there a way to get the tree to start sprouting new branches from its existing branches -- to effectively fill out a bit?

You can see a photo of it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/53931265@N05/5637893157/in/photostream

Any advice on caring for this is greatly appreciated. Last thing we want to do is to cut it down...it's a beautiful tree and it frames our yard beautifully.

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Comments (10)

brandon7 TN_zone7
13 years ago
We don't have enough info (or really any info), about what's causing the problem, to be able to help you. Has the tree had grading/construction work around it in the last few years? If not, are there specific signs of pest or disease? You gotta give us some starting point. However, it really looks like this tree is probably past the point of being able to recover. I suspect the time for action (besides removal) is past. Let us know more, and maybe we can tell you more.
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
13 years ago
I changed the subject heading to give an appropriate metaphor.

{{gwi:344390}}

From the teeny-tiny amount of inadequate info given, 99.375% of trees in that condition are in severe decline and reversal is not what Eukaryotes do.

IOW: you don't magically become a teenager again, although if I did I'd ask that Judy up the street out for sure this time, and take her to Italy...

Dan
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Tor, I'd like it better if that paper dealt with other canker types. This is almost surely not Cytospora canker on this tulip tree. Far more likely to be Nectria. I see from a quick search that some experts do recommend "cutting it out" while still small. I don't see that as a reasonable option in this case. Cutting out a sizable notch in so large a tree seems like a Pyrrhic solution to me. In any case, I remain open to the idea of treating it....just not sure yet what that might consist of. What we do know about such cankers is that A) They are serious and B) In some cases, a healthy tree can simply "outrun" them. As this is obviously a great tree, I'm hoping for the latter. Right on my street, there used to be a very large ash tree. I'm talking mammoth. I suppose it was well over 100 ft. in height with a very straight, branch-free trunk for much of the way up. In any case, that giant tree had a canker on its trunk similar to this one. I'm sorry to say, the decision was made to take the thing down. Upon examination of the wood in the area of the canker, there was no additional infection, no rot, no discoloration of the wood. I think we goofed. But you really can't tell by just looking at it.
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The tree and the house have lived together for a while. you say nothing that causes alarm in my mind, but then again...I haven't been there, and without eyes on, this is incredibly difficult. I'd keep some different folks coming out. maybe you can do it under the guise of an estimate, maybe you'll have to pay up a time or two for on site inspections. So you ask someone to come out and look at a tree. keep the language as open as possible, because as soon as you say, what about taking it down, you have self-selected the direction of the conversation. What you're looking for is someone you will answer your questions and you feel comfortable with. everyone comes into a conversation with an agenda...everyone. but if you're talking to a guy about a tree, knowing he makes money by taking it down, and if he says he really doesn't think it's necessary, he's advising he doesn't get paid. if he say yes it should be trimmed or removed, what's his reason? do other people agree with the reasoning? There's always certifications, more of those than I care to mention, insurance, various methods of checking out contractors. you're starting something a lot of people don't really know well, which is evaluating tree health. there's a lot of people who see a tree close to a house and the only thought they have is it has to come down. I assume the house is new to you? sorry if I missed that above. unless you see something that just scares the living bejessus out of you, i'd wait to see how things look once they leaf out. if nothing else, it'll give you a sense of how specific trees and the house relate to each other, and to the yard. P.S. zero-turn mower. you still need the lawn tractor for cleaning and working, but you'll love the zero-turn for mowing.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
how big is the yard ...

does the tree overhang and threaten anything..

if so..it has to go .. sooner.. or later ...

sorry ....

there just isnt anything you are going to give or do for grandpa.. to make him a healthy 18 year old again ...

ken
flora_uk
13 years ago
Just around the corner from me there is a Liriodendron tulipifera which was planted some time in the 1790s. It looks a lot healthier than the one in the picture. There is definitely something wrong there, but I don't know what.
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
13 years ago
If that tree was out in the middle of my yard I would be thrilled. Old fella has some character. Does he still flower?

Now if it is over your house as Ken said it is another story.

My mind always tries to guess why some trees I see are in decline. Residential settings have the construction problems. Trees do not live forever either. I wonder about root rot, bug infection, anything.
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
13 years ago
it's a beautiful tree and it frames our yard beautifully.

and

If that tree was out in the middle of my yard I would be thrilled. Old fella has some character.

If one were to compare, side by side, the poor tree in the OP and a healthy tuliptree, the likelihood is high the italicized would not have been written.

{{gwi:344391}}{{gwi:331931}}

My BH is planting one this Saturday as a memorial to a Denver Councilmember who passed recently. I assure you everyone associated with the celebration does not have the image at left in their mind when picturing the tree in the future.

The old fella is on his last legs. That is not what healthy trees look like. That is what trees in severe decline look like. Eukaryotes on our planet do not reverse this condition save for the rarest of cases, for the shortest of times...

Dan
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
13 years ago
Respectfully Dan, you are 100% right it is a tree in decline but I think there is a certain beauty in that. And yes i have cut down healthier trees which were a danger to my home or car.

Perhaps I should have mentioned it is 220 feet from my front door to the street so I may have room for that to be there and not fall on my house. Few years back we left an absolutely dead cherry tree up in a brush pile outback. Sure it fell over eventually but none the less it was cool in its own right while it lasted.
IpmMan
13 years ago
Well as usual everyone here could be right. But we don't know without more information what is ailing this tree. Have the roots been damaged by construction? Has someone buried the roots with mulch or dirt? Is the tree loaded with Tulip tree scale? Has it gone through a major drought? Been hit by lightening? One thing for sure is do not fertilize it. That said the tree really does look like it is on the way out unless there is a major factor like the ones mentioned that we do not know about. Even then, at this stage of decline correcting something that is wrong probably will not bring it back but you can never tell for sure with trees, sometimes they surprise us. If it really is not a danger then have someone qualified look at it and let us know what they think. If they suggest fertilizing then they are not qualified.
famartin
13 years ago
Based on the photo, I suggest that the title of this topic should actually be "Need help removing my tulip poplar".
jcollegio
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks all. Very depressing news, but about what I thought.

Nothing has happened to the tree that I'm aware of to make it decline...no construction nearby, no digging nearby, nothing like that. It's not near the house (probably 60 feet away; it's right on the property line between our house and the neighbors in the back yard.

It was somewhat thin when we bought the house in 2009, thinner last year, and maybe a bit thinner this year. One arborist told us if we "reduced" the crown it might come back. But doing that is about 1/3 the cost of removing it entirely.

If there's consensus that trees like this don't come back, i'll value that input highly when we make our decision.

Many thanks for your thoughts on this tree!

Need help reviving my tulip poplar

Comments (10)

brandon7 TN_zone7

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)

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Original Author

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Need help reviving my tulip poplar

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