Cut those dead and dying limbs off that tree?

Question

And you just killed the woodpeckers foraging grounds.. I made this observation just this morning.. I have a big ol pitch pine with 5 or 6 dead limbs on her.. I have procrastinated the deed of trimming off the dead limbs. This morning, while sitting on my front stoop I observed a red headed woodpecker have a field day filling his belly with an assortment of grubs and whatever.. Cool? Who would have thought? comments?

Answer 1

To the extent that the tree is still healthy otherwise and the limb isn't a danger to those walking below, there's nothing wrong with leaving it there. The woodpeckers are a treat to watch. But sometimes you have to take it down or risk losing the entire tree.

Woodpeckers will hang out in healthy trees too. They like those with loose or heavy bark where insects can easily hide. The downy woodpeckers like my river birches.

Answer 2

The big question is what kind of tree is it? If you don't know take a stem to your County Agent for free identification. Also take pictures of your tree. Focus on the branch and trunk structure. Your Agent can help identify your problem. A tree may live to be a 150 years old but it will start dropping branches at 50 or 60 years old. A live oak will live to be many hundreds of years old but can break off and loose half of it's mass in an instant. It is impossible for anyone in this forum to correctly diagnose your problem. When tree issues are involved most County Agents will make a home visit to evaluate the situation - at no charge to you. I have a 160 year old live oak that split 3 years ago. I knew the tree needed attention and my very stubborn husband would not spend the money to have it taken care of. He DEEPLy regrets that decision. Three years later he still hasn't heard the end of it. The information you get from your County Agent is free. You may have to spend some $$$ to care for your tree. It cost $3,000 to remove the 1/2 of our tree that broke off. Had that stubborn man let me care of the tree in the first place it would have cost half of that. Oh Well!! He no longer questions me when I tell him that some thing needs to be done in the yard. Sorry about the dissertation. Hope you get the professional help you need from your County Agent. If you do need to have work done on your tree PLEASE hire a reputable tree service. Check their insurance before you allow them on your property. Get a copy of their policy and call the insurance company to make sure that the policy is still in effect. Unfortunately this is an industry that scams people big time. LOL

Answer 3

cut dead dying limbs tree

Answer 4

Good for you for even discussing trees and leaving them alone if they aren't a danger.

Keep this simple in that the planet sustains all life. Try breathing without oxygen or living without water and all of this happens because of a delicate balance in our atmosphere.

Sustainable means not impacting future generations with what we do today. All the laws provide for this to ensure public health and safety without impacting the environment that provides us life.

Watching development start with mowing down everything living to put up dead, absorbent buildings and roadways so we can drive hundreds of millions of cars isn't going to have happy endings for many. I am still trying to equate this to natural warming cycles but the reality is the opposite.

My background is architecture, engineering, electrical energy provision, etc. I do specialized temperature work and one of our studies was to show shade effect from different trees.

At the end of 1000s of hours of advanced imaging, trees are remarkable in their function. One homeowner cut down 2 big spruce trees that were shading the east side of the home. He wanted to put in a lawn and sidewalks.

My professional education didn't prepare me for what we saw. Removal of the trees allowed the same UV that burns our skin to "burn the building" because of absorbent finishes. It was known that buildings absorbed the sun's energy, it wasn't understood that buildings were generating extreme heat. They aren't designed for the heat so we use ozone depleting refrigeration (air conditioning) to treat the heat symptom along with massive electrical waste and emissions.
No one is discussing the heat we are generating and link to http://www.thermoguy.com/globalwarming-heatgain.html to see the evidence. You will see the role of trees and the temperature information that wasn't available before.

Whew, long discussion about a tree, we won't survive without them. The naysayers on global warming need to go have a big meeting in airport hangers so you can drive your cars in. Take the family and pets, leave the cars running while you discuss if what is happening is a natural cycle.

I am being funny but we need to wake up, where does this end if we continue as we are and the answer is we will destroy our children's ability to look after themselves.

Answer 5

Everything effects everything else.
But is that really a global warming question? It seems more like a conservation question to me. Does every random thought have something to do with global warming now? What is this obsession with global warming.
Oh yeah. Al Gore's movie has caused that.

Answer 6

Don't touch it!

Even if its dead, insects are living in the tree, eating it away. So insect eating animals can burrow into the tree and eat the insects. It might not look pretty but it's helping the ecosystem thrive in your area.

Answer 7

Yea, we shouldn't do anything to disturb the planet. Anything man does is just wrong and in some way, inherently evil.

The best thing we can do with our land is to turn it into a nature perserve and just leave it, give it back to nature.

Answer 8

Cheers, good point.
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