How can I save a split elm tree?

Shanangel82

About six weeks ago a very severe wind storm caused a split of about 1/3 of the trunk of a 200+ year old elm tree. The circumference of the trunk is over 20ft. As this is a very beloved tree located on property owned by family for generations it is of significant sentimental value and we want to try everything possible to save the remaining portion of the tree. Any suggestions on the best place and angle from which to remove the fallen portion? Any suggestions as to whether I should paint or seal the exposed wood and if so, with what substance? Any other suggestions of things to do to give the standing portion of the tree the best odds of survival? I have attached three photos to show the damage as well as one that includes my grandmother standing next to the tree for size comparison. Thank you so much to anyone who can provide any advice or suggestions.

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Brent Ferris

Cut off the stem where the base of the stem used to be and remove all the split pieces from the stem. Someone else -- likely Eric, can demonstrate with a diagram better than I can tell you the best angle to cut at.
Normally anything used to cover the wound tends to retard the natural "healing" ability of trees to contain the wound, or in other words, you do it to make you feel good.
Fertilizing with organic fertilizers - bonemeal, bloodmeal, potash, and kelp or liquid seaweed, and some soluble boron and silica would also be beneficial. And if it is a droughty summer, water the ground around the tree.

It must have been a nasty wind to break an elm tree like that.

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Eric Frei

That is a real ugly place to break.

What will happen now is decay (rot) will commence, and it will affect the rest of the tree's integrity as it degrades the wood where it matters most.

I bet fungal spores have already colonised the tiny little dark nooks and crannies of all that splintered wood.



What I recommend is that you put the tree onto a Cambistat schedule immediately.

Have the remaining tree thinned and reduced slightly. And repeated 3 yearly.

Clear up beneath it and have coarse mulch 2" thick as far as you can but not up to the trunk, leave the trunk clear for 6" so no collar rot happens.

As for the wound face, I recommend you apply a copper based fungicide via a watering can and ladder etc first and then apply Thompson's Water Sealer (active ingredient Triethoxyoctylsilane) annually.

I found that water sealer to be effective for around a year. You want the fungicide down there first. Both to be mixed separately and applied on their own, apply the water sealer when the fungicide application has dried.

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Brent Ferris

Thompson's Water Sealer is an interesting idea Eric -- you often use it with storm damaged trees with good success?

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)

Eric Frei

No, but I sealed an outdoor pine structure, was made out of F5 indoor pine and it did a great job.

For a wound that sized that a client really cares about I think it would be the best way to treat it. The water just beads up and rolls away, it's not guey, sticky, smelly or made of toxic petrochemicals. It's runny like water so will get into tiny tight spots and help keep moisture out. That tree has major heartwood exposure and I reckon this along with fungicide will greatly reduce the advancement of decay.

The Cambistat treatment will slow growth, provide internal decay resistance, increase hairy root mass and make for a stronger tree.

The thing about all these external applications is, they need to be re-applied every year. So if the client is a genuine tree hugger that doesn't want to lose her tree then I would say this script offers the most easily applied method and causes the least harm..... but an arborist might be required for the Cambistat treatment.

I have already mentioned that it's likely fungal spores have colonised and I know trichoderma wont do a lot about wood already colonised, trichoderma has to be applied at time of cutting, and this was broken nastily not cut. Also applying a fungicide at the same time as trichoderma is not much chop, coz it will kill the trichoderma. So for trichoderma to be a biological control of parasitic fungi I think it's too late. Fungicides do work just they wear off, re-application is the key. It was also found that trichoderma ran out of food, it needs something to consume (other than the tree) so a carbohydrate organic tea with it at application time is wise (which I do for fresh cuts as a paste), but the hazard is that bad fungi also would like to consume that tea if it's there and in the wood.

Copper Naphthenate

Wound protection lac balsum or Parifilm

Trichoderma | wound dressing | wound painting | Biological controls

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