tree hit by car :(

11 years ago

Hi,

We have a contract on a new home and just found out that one of the beautiful old maple(?) trees in the front yard was the victim of a car accident. Is there any way to know if this tree will be okay? How can we help this tree? Thanks!

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Comments (6)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
hey

bum deal ...

first.. a driver hit the tree.. a car can not be held responsible ... is this recent.. or historical????

second.. trees heal themselves.. its called encapsulation ... it might only live another 50 to 75 years ... if its just skin damage .... though there may be some canopy issues ...

but we probably cant tell you much online ... especially if there is an issue of internal structural damage ... most likely you are going to need an onsite opinion by a certified arborist ...

what do you mean you have a contract... ??? have you closed??? this may be a material reason to avoid continuing on the offer .. if closing is not done ... but that would be for a local atty to answer ... or at least your real estate agent ...

do collate all the requisite police reports.. so you can make a claim against the driver .. [or his car if you wish.. but most cars are deadbeats .. uncollectable.. lol] ... get the drivers insurance info ... and file a property claim.. if you are in fact.. owner of the property ...

your problem is the limbo of the pending house sale.. hence.. did you close [its your claim] ... or is the closing pending.. probably meaning its the owners claim ... what a nightmare ...

ken
wisconsitom
11 years ago
a holston, Ken meant 'compartmentalization', and this is the ability of woody plants to wall off injury through chemical and physical means. It is an interesting subject, but not something that can be briefly covered. At least, not something I'm up to laying out right at the moment!

Suffice to say though that the tree either will or will not be able to close this wound-both externally and internally-and that all you can do to aid this process is the usual stuff that helps trees. The biggest thing, practically the only thing, is to ensure the tree is not suffering from drought. And if you do elect to water it, realize that this means watering the entire area.

Conversely, if you're fortunate enough to not be in a drought-stricken area, then even this is unwarranted. But keep it in mind for a year or two hence, if it gets dry then. Trees have been getting dinged up-though not by cars-for millennia, and they've developed means to deal with it. No fancy snake oil is going to help. It could be warranted to fertilize the entire root zone, but that's controversial as heck. If you do decide, hopefully after doing some research, go easy with the stuff. A little might do some good but a lot won't do more good.

+oM
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Thanks, Brandon for posting the link. The damage to this tree is a prime, although a bit extreme, case where the use of the liquid copper fungicide can prevent the wood of a tree from being infected by rot. Without treatment this tree may live a long time, but the wood of the trunk will be infected by fungi, and eventually the tree will become hollow. This may weaken the tree and eventually shorten its life. The specific advice I would give in addition to what Brandon gave the link to, is, first, do nothing for at least 3 months, maybe better 4 or 5. The wood needs to thoroughly dry out before an application of liquid copper fungicide can be absorbed into the wood surface. Also, don't try to trim away any loose bark until at least later in the summer; best, not until the fall when the tree's growth has stopped for the year. Then gently remove any lose bark. You don't want to be too aggressive doing this because you can extend the damage. But some of the cambium/bark at the edges of the wound may be killed, but not seem to be loose. So as the callus tissue begins to grow around the edges of the injury, you may begin to notice that some more of the bark may become loose--it may take two or three years for this to become apparent. When it is apparent that there is old bark covering a part of the trunk that is not growing underneath, try to loosen and remove this bark and then apply the liquid copper fungicide underneath. Again, be gentle in removing this old bark covering the dead part of the trunk underneath. Figfarmer--I think if you use the liquid copper fungicide as I suggest, being sure to refresh it annually, your tree will have a good long life to come, free of fungal wood rot. -Spruce
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Talk with your insurance agent and the body shop. If its just the sheet metal that is banged up and a leaking fuel tank, a good body shop should be able to repair this to like new condition. However, since I can not see the damage, I can not make a judgement. If the damage is extensive, the insurance carrier may decide to to "total" the car and pay you what they determine is the worth of the vehicle. Be careful if they decide to total the vechicle. You might not get enough to replace the car. Make sure that you do. Point out that your time is worth money and that you will have to spend time to find a replacment and the hassle of buying it and licensing it.
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Glad that it wasn't a bang on the driver's door, girl! Not long after I got this car, I thought that I went into an intersection on a green ... and a car that came through three lanes hit on the driver's side ... but back at the back tire area. I was ... substantially ... very substantially ... thankful! It seemed to be the general concensus that I'd run a red light ... but I figure that he ran a yellow, as when my car had been turned around about 180 degrees - there, staring at me through the windsheld, was a green light, in the same direction that I'd been travelling ... and if I'd run a red light, it should have been red! Anyway - I also like to pick spaces in parking lots where I can drive out (but must confess to being a bit too lazy/(mis-guided?) to back into empty spaces). I hear that a bit of a longer walk is good for one's constitution? By the way ... did you say that the grandkid is wanting a car? Hhm-mm-mm-m! Hope that the rest of your weekend goes better. I, too, value my wheels ... and one needs be extra careful around here, for if one in 70s or higher is in a fender-bender or two, one is liable to get a letter from the Ministry of Transportation to say that they are cancelling one's driving permit. We have a discussion session of about an hour and a half with about a dozen others, with a test of knowledge and signs, with some being selected for a driving test, every two years after age 80. ole joyful P.S. As I was fairly sure that there were still quite a few good miles in that little 20-year-old Mazda that I'd bought only a few months earlier, after the accident I chose to repair it, at a cost larger than I'd paid for it ... partly for environmental reasons, as it costs a great deal of scarce and precious fuel to dig iron ore from the ground, smelt it, then carry it through all of the manufacturing operations ... plus add quite a lot of petroleum-based plastic, to build a new one, but repair is mainly a lot of work. In addition to the amount that's added to global warming ... and pollution. o j
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
fertilizing a tree is as simple as fertilizing the lawn with a general fertilizer ... though since it is stressed i might stay away from ferts with plant killer in it ... e.g. crabgrass killer.. etc ...

whatever you call it.. the tree if otherwise healthy .. will take care of itself.. no painting.. no nothing.. maybe in a year or two.. some shaving of the hangnails [for lack of a better term]...

but i still would wonder about interior.. UNSEEN structural damage.. it sure looks like that tree would win over a collapsible car .. but i would hate to think that there is a big fracture hidden in there..

the real issue is.. will it fall on anything important.. should it fail catastrophically ... if its out in the middle of the yard.. so what.. but if it will kill you in your sleep one night.. i would suggest a professional should look at it ..

see link about structural weakness .... though that trees problem was not a car accident ....

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link
BobtheArborist
11 years ago
Some tree species compartmentalize (form a "scab" to wall off decay) better than others. No matter what, the tree has lost its vascular ability to transfer water and nutrients up this side of the tree, so don't be surprised if branches higher up on this side show more die-off than the rest of the tree. Hard to tell without seeing some leaves whether this is really a maple. If so, maples do generally need lots of water. Chemical fertilizers used on lawns are not the best for trees. A good organic fertilizer is best - liquid compost with some potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese from natural sources like sea kelp, worm droppings, humus with microbial additives, mycorrhizal fungi to improve root absorption and then trace minerals mixed in would do it the best - especially if injected into the roots with a soil wand.
krnuttle
11 years ago
From the picture and what appears to be the position of the tree and the angle at which the car hit the tree, I believe the tree is in an excellent position to protect the house from attacks by cars.

I would hope for thee best and leave the tree until another one grew big enough to take over the defense of the house.
Brandon Smith
11 years ago
At my previous house I had a pretty decent sized sweet gum maple in the ft yard between the sidewalk and street. New Year's Eve 07 someone smoked it traveling pretty briskly. I didn't see the car or it smashed on my tree but the next day there were nasty oil/coolant slicks near the tree and the obvious damage the tree took which looked a lot like yours. I never even thought once that the tree would have a problem surviving (though if you know sweet gums, like me you would have hoped for the tree to be mortally injured!). Trees still there bug as ever, making gum balls and there is only a slight scar from the initial massive bark removal
That happened that New Year's Eve 5 years ago.

It'll be fine.

tree hit by car :(

Comments (6)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

wisconsitom

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