"...there was a mound of mulch on top of the sod, on top of the burlap bag around the root ball." Well, that's enough info for us to know for sure that whoever planted the tree didn't know what they were doing. You need to dig down to that burlap and see what's still left. If it's still present, remove as much of it as you can without significant root disturbance. Unfortunately, it's too late to get the vast majority of it, but removing what's on top may be slightly helpful with moisture control (reduce possible wicking effects). Look for signs of the rootflare. If you're not sure what you are looking at when you do the work, post pictures here. If/when the rootflare is evident, recover the area with a light layer of mulch (very light to none up against the trunk) to reduce evaporation (as well as for aesthetic benefit). "I can't remember when the split started..." The damage may have been done long before you noticed anything. It is quite possible that only close inspection by someone that knew exactly what they were looking for would have noticed anything wrong until quite some time after the underlying damage occurred. "I normally use pruning sealer when I prune the tree and thought maybe it might help this crack." Do your trees a big favor and throw that junk in the trash (unless you have a specific and unusual circumstance that warrants it's use). Pruning sealer (at least for the most part) is contraindicated for use on woody plants.

Yes! We actually experienced hurricane-force winds when Ike came through last year, and numerous homes on our block were damaged by tree falls - we watched it happen from our garage during the storm. Katrina and Wilma also affected us. This is an older neighborhood with lots and lots of very large trees. Ike happened about a month after the large oak fell, so I was a basket case throughout the storm. I now have a not-so-irrational fear of one of the remaining trees falling on the house, and do intend to find someone to assess the health of them before the spring monsoon season arrives. Yes, the trees around this house are either original growth or planted at the time of house build (1955), and are quite huge and very close to the house. I have an 18 month old son and worry constantly about the possibility of a fall. That huge pine Ken mentioned is two trees whose base grew together... they were tethered together up high at one point, but the tether has broken. That tree sits right outside our front door. The fact that the corner oak fell during a still early morning (i.e. no wind or rain at the time) underlines the fact that it could happen any time. Amazingly, so far we have no significant foundation damage per the home inspector 2 years ago. Again, thank you all for all your help. I'll work on clearing the base of the "sandbox pine" and will seek certified help on the remaining giants. You guys may be hearing from me again as I continue my work.

I just want to make sure. Lou just said the tree was now officially a three inch stump. That is right. I saw another comment about cutting it to ground level--that would scare me. Here is why. First, I have to admit that I have not done studies and have no official knowledge--what I have is just a lot of ovservations. The sprouts I have seen on red oak trees seem to me to come from points above the root collar--I can't recall ever seeing red oaks sprout from roots, even after the tree is cut. I can't say it doesn't happen, but I do know that a red oak tree will usually sprout vogorously from points just above the root collar. Hence my recommendation for the three inch stump. If the tree were much larger, I would have recommended a 5 inch stump above the obvious root flare. Anyway, to be on the safe side I recommended a three inch stump, "no more, no less." But if any of you have any more specific knowledge concerning this recommendation, let me know. I do know that the vigorous sprouts that come from as close to the root collar as possible make the better trees and have less risk of inheriting any rot from the old stump. But I recommend a "margin of error," hence the idea of leaving three inches above the root collar for sprouts to grow from. Also, the more sprouts for the first two or three years, the better, to maintain the health of the root system, which will be the support of the future growth of the tree. I know some other trees will sprout from the roots if cut. But I have a serious question about whether red oaks do, and if they do, whether the probability and/or quantity of sprouts would be sufficient. Well, I invite information from others on this point--even though I am getting "long in the tooth," I am as eager to learn as ever, if not more so. --Spruce

if you are going to split it by hand, you definitely want to do it now while it is still "green". oak gets hard when it dries and will give you a workout if you don't have the proper tools and knowledge to use them! if you use a hydraulic splitter, you can split them later, but it will delay the drying. i have used oak after 1 year of seasoning, but it burns MUCH better the 2nd year.