Let me ask you something...are those tree rings ornamental or do you actually work at keeping the roots within the mulched area (by deep edging, etc.)? It appears, by the root heaving, that the root system is very small.

Are these newly planted?

Answers to those questions might give us a little bit more to work with. ;-)

1. sure.. why not .... at least three very stout stakes .... one opposite the lean ... that will be the important one ... and the only one tied tight .... the other two .. should be looser .... retie two or three times per year ...

2. eventually .... if the soil was just liquified.. and the canopy acted as a sail .. then perhpas it just got loose in the soil.. and there was no root damage.. if so ... then i dont see any reason why it shouldnt be just peachy ...

if.. in the alternative.. major roots were damaged.. you might be in for a fight ... but short of digging it up... how are you ever going to know ...

BTW.. what kind of tree is it... and are you still sure it is a treasure ... maybe it time to upgrade ... your choice ...

how likely are these types of storms in your area.. and is this tree really something that is going to be able to take the onslaught over the years????

good luck

ken

PS: its already sprouting near the soil ... in theory.. you could cut it off at the ground.. and probably have a 6 foot tree in 2 years ....

Rhizo1,

Thanks for responding. Apologies for my ignorance.

1. The tree ring is ornamental. Quite frankly I have no idea what deep edging is. I do edge around the ring to keep the grass mowed/edged (only clips the top of the grass).

2. I bought the house 2.5 yrs ago and inherited the tree with it. Considering this is a new subdivision and the first owner bought from the builder, it could not have been more than 8 yrs old, but could be less as the tree might have been planted by the previous owner partway through.

AV

I kinda agree with Rhizo, I wonder if it may have came from a container and is rootbound. Even if it has been planted five years, it should have a better root system than that.

BTW, it looks like a Chinese Elm (Lacebark).

1. Ken, Thanks for responding. The tree is NOT a treasure. But I would hate to cut this tree down out of my own ignorance and hence my post. I am open to an upgrade. Storms are typical (hurricanes maybe not). There were a few in Houston not so lucky with huge trees taking out their homes. I am lucky. Being a newer neighborhood, the trees are small in this area. So if I choose to keep this, it needs to be a wise choice from safety standpoint - I guess even a new tree does not guarantee that it won't suffer storm damage - but I wouldn't want to knowingly leave a weakened tree.

2. Alabama tree hugger - Frankly, I do not know what type of tree it is. This is the only tree out of 5 I have that suffered damage. It was a category 2 hurricane (tree branches, uprooted trees are everywhere). You can see 2 of the other trees in the background (in the pics), 2 more in the front yard are oaks and actually stouter (except for a branch breaking off one - no other damage). Is Chinese Elm native to this area? Am I better of with another species?

Thanks folks.

AV

If it were mine, I would get rid of it. Even if it were straightened, I would always wonder if the roots were going in circles under there.

I can't see it close enough, but it sure looks like Chinese Elm, which is native to China, Korea, and Japan and is getting invasive in some areas. There are other good native alternatives, like the Cedar Elm which is native to Texas. Just always make sure to break up the rootball really well to prevent circling roots. I always dunk the rootball in a tub of water and wash out all of the potting mix, that way I can see what the roots look like before I plant it.

Alabama Tree Hugger,

Thanks. Yes, You are dead on, it is Chinese Elm. I compared it with the wikipedia description (and pictures) here.

I also spent some time searching the web and found the following document for "hurricane friendly" trees. This is for Alabama, but I am sure I should be able to find one suitable for Texas out of that list. Quite interestingly, the document mentions Chinese Elm as medium low/low wind resistance.

I am leaning towards taking the tree down and putting a new one in given the advice and the unknowns from the safety angle.

Thanks to all.

AV

Check out this site, they sell southern trees and you won't have to worry about the roots being all kinked up like the ones you find at the store.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mail Order Natives