Killing by Debarking - Azadirachta Indica Tree

indep14

I want to get rid of a Azadirachta indica tree in my house, I have tried to remove the bark of the trunk and pictures from three side of the trunk are attached. Please tell me following

1. Is this enough removal of trunk's bark to kill the tree ?
2. Would Debarking show immediate effects like felling of leaves ??
3. After how much time is the tree expected to finish off ?
4. DO i Need to do something else to ensure killing of the tree ?

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indep14

Here are the pictures again

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redmower

Indep14

The tree is certainly going to die above your cuts. It may hang on for a few weeks as the sapwood on the under side seems to still have a capacity to conduct water etc to the canopy/leaves. The canopy can produce sugars etc but this cannot feed the roots now so the roots will start to starve. So yes you are killing the tree.

Now the root system may die off after your handy axe-work but it is possible that the tree's root system is likely to be healthy enough send new shoots out from the lower trunk. Azadirachta does that here in my home town so I figure you should expect the same behaviour.

A quick and sure method to kill the root system involved applying a watered down herbicide onto the freshly cut bard and sapwood. I do this by cutting the sapwood the full circle around the tree as low as i can reasonably go maybe 15mm above the ground, completely circling the trunk, keeping the circle level as best you can. Sorry to give you more work, you look handy with the axe. Have your herbicide mix ready to apply fresh on the completed cuts. Use just enough to wet the cut surface. Two capfulls should do the job.

For herbicide: Glyphosate (Roundup) mixed at 1 part to 3 parts water. I mix it in a plastic bottle with a small hole pierced in the lid for sprinkling onto the cut. Squash the bottle after and rinse it out and dispose properly. I am wondering if your drier climate has a great need for general knockdown herbicides like Glyphosate.

Otherwise just wait for the sucker to emerge then break or cut them off. Eventually the root system will starve and you kill the tree.

RM

Eric Frei

I really wonder why you just didn't cut the tree down?

So now you'll have a dead tree that you'll need to cut down.

You could have cut it down alive, poisoned the stump etc.

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indep14

I cannot cut the tree as it is very big and is very close to the house and it might fall on the house.

Please tel me will the tree disintegrate with time if I leave the tree there when it is killed ??

Eric Frei

Well, if you cannot then get some-one who can.

It might, it might also fallover. Plus now if it does "disintegrate" it does so out of control. So it will be unstable and unreliable, so I hope no-one goes under it etc.

The tree looks small frankly, and generally they are easy to cut down. I think you have created a hazard. I think also worrying about such a small tree falling on a house is a little phobic, generally these trees are fairly reliable and seldom do I see them just falling over.

The axe work has perhaps reduced the stem thickness to such a point that when decay sets in it will break there.

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Done it

You deleted the thread I replied to? I didn't that was possible.

Anyway I see you read it and uploaded the pictures ok. Nice axe work, I'm sure you have solved your problem.

Eric Frei

I deleted the other thread.

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indep14

The leaves have turned yellow and are falling fast. The tree is not small as you can see. I hope and pray that the tree would not fall (I reckon it will not) and would disintegrate.

indep14

The leaves have turned yellow and are falling fast. The tree is not small as you can see. I hope and pray that the tree would not fall (I reckon it will not) and would disintegrate.

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Brent Ferris

With the trunk cut that much, failure from strong winds, or simply pushing on it will likely fell the tree,

__________________
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If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
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George Valentine

Well, I can't see any major difficulty in getting that tree removed completely and safely before, the wind and the wood drying off, messes the place up...!

Sure, is not a little tree but is far from being a big tree and from what you have said so far, I believe for obvious reasons that you want the tree to appear that is dying and later dead, before you justify to someone (maybe the neighbors) that you had no choice but you have it removed.

The problem is that, while you are going through this waiting process, the tree will become more fragile to the elements, this can represent causing some damage to anything under it, on you side of the fence/walls and also on the other side of it/them, which we don't know what exists there, nevertheless, if my "assumption" is correct, I suggest that you have it cut not long after "everyone" is satisfied that the tree is dead...!

Good luck...!

Cheers
George

indep14

No it isn't that I do not want to reveal it to the neighbors, it's just that I want to avoid the hassle of chopping the tree down. On the back side of the tree behind the wall is an open area with lots of trees, but side of the tree we have our neighbors.

Eric Frei

Keep us updated with what happens.

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indep14

Here are the pictures of the tree with the area around, to give a better idea of the neighbors

A lot of leaves have fallen but yet the tree still has quite some green leaves.

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Apocalypsse

You are better off cutting it down sooner rather than later. Waiting for it to 'disintegrate' will take years, it will probably fall over because of decay after cutting away soo much of the trunk. Save yourself the trouble and get someone to cut it down now, because its going to cost you more if you wait. The tree isn't that big at all.

indep14

The debarking has been successful so far, the tree has lost all it's leaves though I do not see any insects in it's trunk as yet. I guess it would take years for this tree to disintegrate.

redmower

Indep

I think a few of us have concerns that your tree might snap at the place where the cuts were made. as that seems to be a much narrower weakness in a key part of the trunk structure.

But on the positive side you are right about it drying out and maybe subsequent insect attack (borers) thru defence-less bark and thence into the dry sapwood may further lighten the tree and reduce risk of heavy parts falling over.

Good luck with it all.

RM

indep14

@RM
Thank you for your concern and advice. I think the tree will hold it's ground as despite the chopping being deep still quite of a lot of tree trunk is still intact. More over the tree is safe from strong wind as it is covered by my house.

Just to seek an advice for future, how deep and wide debarking would have been enough to kill this particular or any other tree ??

Eric Frei

Well, trees vary and you'd want to go at least the depth of the sapwood and about 50mm wide. I think you got your real good!

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Brent Ferris

The tree only looks like 30 feet tall, or so - small in the tree world - better to take it out while it still has some life in it, when someone will still climb the tree,.

Dead trees are a threat to anyone around, yourself included, and usually cost more to remove.

__________________
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)