zookeeper, that is not enough space (the circle of bricks)for a live oak. In the next 10 years it will probably outgrow that space and you will have more patio paver trouble. Which do You want, the patio as it is or the tree? Not sure exactly how close the tree is to your house, but if there is one oak tree that you could have close to your house it would be the live oak. It is very wind resistant and the wood from these trees was used to make Old Ironsides because of its physical properties. They usually survive huricanes very well. That said they also can die of a fungus depending on where your are at. Then you are faced with removing it. We have two 12" diameter ones at 24 ft. from house. Every other year I prune lower branches to direct them away from the house, other wise they would grow over the roof. Eventually the upper limbs may do the same, but we're not there yet. There are hundreds of houses in Waco built just as close to large live oaks as yours seems to be without too much obvious hassle, so it can be done. If it were me, and you need the shade, and tree is in open with no other competition for sun, I would leave just the middle fork so you can have a balanced tree, one that grows limbs out in all directions and doesn't lean toward the house. With every other year pruning you should be able to keep limbs off of the house without much hassle. These trees typically don't get over 45' tall unless they are in a lot of competition for sun. If you're from a drier part of the country where trees seldom exceed 35' you might leave all 3 forks.

Thanks Stiffy for the link. This article is more informative than the one linked on the other thread (on Trees Forum). This article mentions, as I did in a post on the earlier thread, that the spruce is probably clonal. Yet Kullman is still quoted as saying the tree survives by "pushing out" a trunk when the older trunk is dying. This is pseudo-science I'm sorry to say. And if this happens due to rigorous conditions killing off the older trunk, then why would new growing tissue be better able to survive? Wouldn't it be tender and subject to freezing? Use your own experience as a guide. As I pointed out on the other thread, if this is indeed clonal, it must compete for the age sweepstakes not with bristlecone pine but with Kings Holly of Tasmania, a clonal triploid shrub that matches 43,600 +/-years old macrofossils. We still need a more complete story here. But jump.

Rose, how sad to see such a majestic beauty go down. It had to be done. Long story short: At the corner of the yard at the house my family lived in for many years was a tall, beautiful, perfectly shaped pine tree; the kind with those long slender cones. It shaded and provided privacy for the front porch. My DH died; years later I sold the house. I often wake up with a song going through my mind. One morning, a year or so after I sold it, it was the old song "They Cut Down the Old Pine Tree." I went to work that day and my boss, who lived across the street from the house, asked me if I knew the pine tree had been cut down. I couldn't believe it. I had to go and see. There was the stump. No sign of rot showing. Unbelievable! We knew the history of the house and knew when it was built and by whom. Also had met a lady who was born in that house. The house was built about a hundred years ago and that tree had "always" been there. You had no choice but to let your tree go. I'll never understand why anyone would cut down a solid old healthy tree. Don't understand how the mind works when I woke up with that song playing in my brain either. Your house shows more beautifully though. Sue

It depends to a great extent on where you live, some trees do better in different geographic regions of the country. Too bad about that Elm, they can be very attractive trees but prone to disease problems, especially if there are many other Elms around the neighborhood. If you do want to plant a new Elm, I would rip the current one out if it has disease and wait a few years before planting the new one. (and be careful you do not use the same tools on the new one you used on the old one, or be sure to thoroughly sterilize them) Mulberry, European Oak, European Beech, Douglas Fir Another unusual option, you could go with a sweet cherry variety that is growing on its own roots (i.e. not grafted). These can take up to 12-15 years to begin producing fruit (which is why you rarely ever see them) but the trees can grow to be quite large. See if you can find pictures of the Tartarian cherry tree in the Owen Rose Garden (Oregon), it's well over 150 years old. Cherry trees grow fast in first years of their life and then start growing at a much slower rate once they reach close to maximum size, great for quickly filling in when you do not have a lot of patience. Unfortunately cherries are also prone to a cornucopia of different problems, much of this depending on the exact climate. The falling leaves can also poison pet animals if they eat too many of them (livestock think the leaves are tasty). Cherry trees can be beautiful yard specimens though, and the fruit they [will eventually] produce is just an added plus.