The best answer I usually read here is to hire a certified arborist to inspect your property. I'd assume with a few acres you might be able to get his or her opinions on a couple trees including this one and what would be a good idea to plant where for the future.

When I inspect the trees around my yard with my untrained eye I look for changes. Things like any sign of decay, bark falling off, fewer leaves on branches. Stuff like that. If something looks funny to me I wait until the next time one of my golf course employed "horticulture" buddies comes over for whatever their opinion is worth.

Some part of me hates cutting down the big trees on my private property but I recognize some become hazards and its just speeding up the inevitable fall by a few years.

Be sure you ask if they are certified

I looked for certified arborists in this area and couldn't find any. This area is the rear end of nowhere.

There doesn't seem to be any signs of rot or decay that I can see. The tree appears very sound. What I need to know is the realistic life span of this tree so that I can gauge how much risk I would take on if I leave it in place.

Also, do I buy anything by drop-crotch pruning the tree? I figure this might open the canopy up a little so that winter winds would be less likely to topple it.

Rolf

There's different kinds of cherry trees.

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Your's is probably a pin (or fire) cherry. They like to have multiple stems, the crotch just several feet off the ground, as you have described.

Black cherries, on the other hand, usually grow fairly straight, like a white ash tree. Black cherries have pretty white flowers in the spring (like in Washington D.C.)

Cherry lumber, in general, is very brittle, bad for your situation, especially the pin cherry. Black cherry trees last a long time. Pin cherries, can live a long time, but rarely do. 50 years is a long time for a Pin cherry (around here). But I have seen large Pin cherries (at Gettysburg National Park, PA). They must have arborists helping them along.

We have 6 acres. Every year I cut a few dead/dying pin cherries down (all over 1 foot in diameter). Put 'em in the fireplace (I think that is why they are called fire cherries. )

During an ice storm several years ago, one snapped at the base and almost fell on my car. Yikes!

without a picture.. its hard to speculate...

first.. ID the tree ....

some cherry is worth money .... MAYBE you can find someone who will remove it for the wood ... or a small profit ....

if you can get a picture of the tree.. the trunk bark.. and a leaf.. some folks here can ID it for you .. and indicate if there is profit potential ...

otherwise ... i vote for taking it down ... otherwise increase your insurance coverage for the 'house' you are putting under it .... you know its going to be a problem .. take care of it while you can do it yourself.. or start saving the 3000 dollars ...

ken

Yes, I think I would have to agree with ken_adrian. Just take it down.

I have a limited experience with trees, mostly just looking at them. ken_adrian definitely knows tons more than I do about trees. Compared to him, I know nothing. I just have the experience of living out in the country, and nailing a few boards together from time to time.

As far as lumber goes, folks who buy local stuff usually want the main "stick". And you don't have one.

The main stick is the vertical, the wood cells are balanced across the diameter (less chance of warping) and if there is any figured grain (tiger) that's where it will be.

Branches going off at a 45° are chancy, they may warp in the direction of the original 45°.

My $.02

Siiiiigh. I guess I will have to take it down. Perhaps I knew this all along but just needed a little nudging to get things rolling.

I hate to waste this wood but no-one seems to want it. Lots of logging in this area but the companies that do it want to have at least 5 acres to work on before they will take on the job. I took out some really tall and straight trees earlier this year and it just broke my heart to have to cut them into firewood. The residents all thought I was crazy for feeling this way as cherries are something of a "weed" in this area.

One thing I plan to do with this particular tree is cut out all the crotches (many) and make them into turning blocks for later use on the lathe. I've done his before with black walnut trees and the results have been spectacular.

Rolf

Yeah, it's the sawyering setup charges that you will not be able to make. The cheapest way is to find a Woodmizer guy (portable sawmill). Around here, they charge $150 to setup, plus an hourly fee. And if they hit nails, you have to pay for new blades.

Great idea about the wood lathe projects. That's the way to go. Cut trees only after the leaves fall. If you paint the endgrain with Anchorseal, that will help.

Here's some cherry from my yard. The top and rails is figured black cherry (I paid to have that cut). The legs are pin (fire) cherry. I just took them from my firewood pile and cut them out rough with a chainsaw. All the lumber was from straight sticks.

Click for a larger image

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