White Pine Tree Needs Help - Storm Damage

14 years ago

All,

I have a beautiful 60' white pine tree in my front yard that was damaged by our winter storms this year. I love this tree and don't want to lose it.

I had a landscaping company come in and prune the majority of the damaged branches.

They recommended topping the tree and reshaping it. I did NOT do this. My thinking was the tree had suffered enough shock for the time being and needs to recover first. Please tell me if you agree.

Questions:

1. Tree is having a hard time - is there anything I can do to help it? Such as feeding it or watering it?

2. Should I have the tree topped at some point?

3. Tree is very misshapen now. Plan to prune it to give it back some shape. When is the best time to do this? And how much should I prune (20%, 25%, etc.)?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Melanie

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Comments (9)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
personally.. i really need a pic to come to any conclusion ....

i would rather cut a tree down rather than top it ...

it does not need food or fert ....

a little extra water wouldnt hurt.. but if you water your lawn.. it will get everything it needs..

think of it this way ... it has prospered for decades.. and the storm did nothing to hurt its root mass ... so it will take care of all that.. like it has been since it was planted ...

as for the uglies.... well the aesthetic is up to you ...

BTW.. how close to the house is it???? and if so, what would have happened if the wind was from the other direction.. that may be the root of the decision ... how safe are you from this tree????

ken
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
14 years ago
Pix please or any recommendation is worth the pixels it is printed on. Far, far too little information given.

Dan
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Kadasuki - What kind of trees have you lost so far? We cut down a silver maple in our back yard after our big ice storm here two years ago. It might have lived but it looked pretty bad. We cut down an Autumn Blaze(I think) maple in our front yard that had extensive damage but kept another, same kind of maple, that wasn't quite as bad. We had two London Plane trees that had only a few broken limbs. We cut down one while we had people here to help us because it was planted in a bad spot and kept the other. We kept a tulip tree that still looks pretty awful and probably should've been cut down. My parents have one about the same age that had heavy damage but has recovered nicely. Their hard maples looked horrid but they kept them. They're not recovering well at all. Still have no tops and a really weird shape. We have a pin oak in our front yard that did pretty well. It had the very top broken off but it looked good compared to some of our other trees. They don't tolerate limey soil very well if you have that. The worst thing about them is the way the limbs continually grow down. It makes them hard to mow under. You would need to make sure it's not too close to any buildings because it's hard to keep the limbs trimmed up away from the roof. We had a red mulberry that had nothing left but part of the trunk and we had to have it taken out. It surprised me how badly some of the oak trees did around here. Some that were very old that lost huge limbs. I think you're smart to drive around to see what looks the worst and also try to note which trees regain their shape after being damaged.
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I commiserate with you. The bad news-there's really nothing you can do. The good news? there's really nothing you need to do. The tree will go on living and may in time re-establish a new leader. Most conifers are quite good at doing so. It will just seem to you as though it's taking forever, since you really can't see what's going on up there. But no, as bad as this is, it won't kill the tree. Re-reading more of your post, I would not do a thing to anything around the tree. Your and your neighbor's commentary on what is happening with tree removal, subsequent increased winds, etc. sound spot-on to me. I'd attempt-to the greatest degree possible-to retain what mother nature has there for you.
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iforgotitsonevermind
14 years ago
Anyone who suggests topping a tree, well, just ignore everything they say.

You will probably have better luck contacting a certified arborist ( many tree services have their own on staff) than with a landscaper. Just because they have education and training in the area of trees doesn't mean they will be expensive either. Many come out and give a free consult.
melanie
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks everybody.

The tree is about 30' from the house. If it ever falls eastward, it will in fact hit the house.

We also have a lot of oaks and maples in the back which are very tall as well.

Good point about the root system. I didn't think about that.

Guess I'll just have to pray it makes it. Overall, it is a healthy tree. It just got whacked really badly this time.

You should have seen me out in the blizzard with a long pole knocking the snow from the branches I could reach. Took a few "butt plants" and was "dumped on" a few times :), but it was worth it. None of the lower branches broke. As I said, I LOVE that tree.

I'll call the County for an arborist recommendation prior to having it pruned.

Thanks again for your help.

Melanie
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
if it is a danger to you or the house.. i would not waste money on pruning.. and prayer..

without a picture.. i recommend removal ...

are you really willing to spend 500 to a thousand dollars today.. with failure an option.. and 1500 in 5 years when you find out your prayers were not answered in regard to this tree ...

seriously.. pines this size are FOREST trees.. where they may or may not make a sound when they fall ...

the cute little puppy someone planted near their house.. has turned into the monster it always was.. and it is not really suited for suburbia ... IMHO ...

think long and hard about it all .. and it never hurts to ask a local pro ... now you have some info to have a quality discussion ..

ken
famartin
14 years ago
White Pines often get spanked hard by large falls of heavy wet snow. Usually its just relatively minor side branches that break off, however. This often causes them to lose their "formal" shape, but in general I find them more interesting a few years afterwards. Unless the tree is actually leaning compared to before the winter, I honestly wouldn't worry about it.
melanie
Original Author
14 years ago
It's looking like it's bouncing back. Is budding and they look healthy. Looks like "Bubba Pine" (my nickname for it) is going to be fine. Thank goodness. I love that tree and didn't want to lose it.

The shape is a mess, but I'll deal with that later in the year.

I found one down the street as well. It's smaller than mine and got battered as well. It doesn't look nearly as good as my tree. Hopefully, it will come back too.

Thanks for sharing

M
salicaceae
14 years ago
Ken,

Why would you recommend removal of a tree that has just had branches broken? White pines lose branches all the time from winter storms and they don't just fall on houses due to that. If the tree isn't leaning seriously, it should be just fine. I have seen many, many giant white pines in urban areas and I'm glad the owners don't have the same opinion of them you do. Just because a large tree is near a house doesn't mean it is a realistic risk.
lesley_brar
3 years ago
white pines do indeed break after ice events..they will recover but esthetically , its your call. dont ever top a tree. if you want to thicken out a white pine cut back the middle candle on the branches.

White Pine Tree Needs Help - Storm Damage

Comments (9)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)

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White Pine Tree Needs Help - Storm Damage

Comments (9)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)

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