Thank you for posting that link Arktrees. If you could, please post it in the Ozarks Gardening Forum as well. I think there are several people in that forum that would find it helpful. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with a couple of my trees from our ice storm two years ago. I will try to photograph them and post the pictures. Here is a link that might be useful: Ozarks Region Gardening

I am in Rutland & most of these trees are rotting from the top branches to start with. Most are 30'+ tall. Some have fallen towards the woods opposite my house. I am having them cut before they decide to fall on my house. 2 or 3 already have been cut down. I just do not want anymore growing in these spots. Most have grown through old stone walls. How do I prevent the new growth that will appear in the spring??? TIA, Yvette

Thyme2dig, don't take my comments personally. They are only meant to address your proposal. And, IMO, using hose clamps to attempt to "fix" a broken branch or trunk is completely misguided and has a near-zero chance of working long-term. I hope it works (continues to work) for your tree, but the procedure flies in the face of reason if you consider how trees grow. The wood inside woody plants is dead. It will never every grow back together no matter how you clamp the split together. The ONLY way that the tree has to bind itself back together is if new wood is used to encapsulate the break. For this to have any chance of working on Lyssa's tree, it would require years and years of growth and a significant increase in trunk diameter. As the trunk grows in diameter, the crown of the tree would get larger and heavier. Even in an ideal situation, the area of the break will ALWAYS be much weaker than the rest of the trunk. As the crown grows, more and more stress will be placed on the broken area and chances of failure will increase. When we consider the fact that the trunk will have to put on a significant amount of girth, the deficiency of the hose clamp becomes apparent. If the clamp is tight enough to support the break, circulation in the trees trunk will be cut off and further growth will be impossible. If the clamp is loosened enough to allow growth to occur, it will not sufficiently lock the two sides in place for the outer most (not wood) layers of the trunk to fuse. Also, a loose clamp will likely cause further damage as the tree is moved by wind, rain, pets, etc. Like everyone else above, I think pruning or replacement are the best solutions. I STRONGLY do not suggest trying to save the top of this tree, but, if one was determined to try, there are MUCH better ways to go about it than using hose clamps.

Are they bareroot? potted? dormant? If they are dormant, I'd throw them in the garage or a very sheltered porch, wrapped in a few blankets to help minimize shock