Black Cherry Trees (Keep them or remove them) seeking opinions
I'm looking for opinions on whether or not I should remove 3 black cherry trees from my backyard (or some of the three).
They have been there since we moved in in 2006, and at one time there were five of them. We took down one that was about significantly taller and at least 3x the trunk diameter because the tree was 1/2 dead and the other tree was about the same size as the remaining trees but was leaning towards the house and had a lot dead limbs in it. We have noticed that these trees tend to break frequently and Cherry #3 in picture was heavily damaged in the 2014 winter storms we had here.
Here is my dilemma. I have planted some maple trees) over the years and I want to to think about how things will look down the road and not just today.
As you can see from the picture, my 10 year old autumn blaze is very large, but will continue to fill in that area. Red Maple #2 is still relatively small because it doesn't receive much sun, but it's from my dad's property and has some sentimental value, so I would like to keep that and give it some room for growth. It's about 25 feet from the sugar maple and Autumn Blaze maple. The Commemoration Sugar maple is really doing well an I know that will get quite large over time, and the other Red Maple on the right side of my yard is also taking shape very nicely and will continue to grow.
Every year it seems the cherry trees break apart or suffer dieback, so I am concerned about how they will do years from now if I leave them there. These are far enough away from the house that they are not causing any safety issues, other than being a branch dropping while being under them. I have a one year old now so that is a factor too.
Please let me know your thoughts/opinions on whether I should keep one or none of the cherry trees. I would rather remove them now, while they are easy to get to and easier to take down without damaging surrounding landscape and the yard. I really do enjoy them though and all of the wildlife they attract. :)
Thanks!
Steve
Comments (23)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago- 8 years ago
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoI have one now 55' tall and intend to preserve it, but that's enough. No significant damage, but it's protected by an upwind sugar maple. Some of these trees can produce tasty fruit when they are VERY ripe, but mine usually doesn't. Below is the large one 11 yrs ago -- grown quite a bit since then:
Below are very strong-flavored black cherries from a small one at the woods edge:
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Thanks for all of the constructive comments. I have them scheduled for removal in about a week, but I am liking the idea of keeping #2 and am considering that option. If I keep this tree, I would would like to have some branches removed (those that are directly above where the maples will fill in in the next 10 years or so.
I am not looking for perfect specimen trees and like the them to look more natural (forest like) with higher branches, and without perfect symmetry.
I have marked up the branches that I would have removed (see those marked in red). The yellow represents the locations where the pruning cuts would be.My question is...... would this be too heavy of a removal all at once, and should I have these branches taken out over time? I would like to avoid sprouting, but I know that is a normal reaction (see tree #3 on far right from sever storm damage).
Thanks for the great suggestions!
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