Is my Oak Tree sick?

bleepster

first post so please bear with me.

I live in Mid Michigan

we bought our house 1 1/2 years ago and in the back yard about 7 feet off the house is an Oak tree. I bet the trunk diameter is 7'. its probably 75' tall or taller.

the tree appears to be in o.k. health from my point of view. there are a few dead limbs that need to come down. however there is a black tarry looking spot weeping on the west side of the tree. it looks like the attached photo. this photo is NOT my tree, just one i found on this site. (I will take photos and post them this weekend)

about 25' up on both the east and west sides of the tree are holes. maybe 3inches in dia. squirels live in one hole, and black birds in the other. the wife and I fear that the tree may be hollow, and we dont want it to fall on our house.

can an arbourist tell us how the tree is doing internally? can holes be cored to see how well the tree is doing?

we have had 2 estimates to have the tree removed, the majority of the wood given to us for burning in our fire place. and both estimates were around $2700.00

will me posting my personal photos help you?

let me know.

thanks

bleepster

I havent had time to snap some photos - will do it tonight.

suprised no replies yet. hopefully after i post some pics i'll get some ideas/help

i should also mention that over the past 2 summers, we have noticed big black ants on the tree. not sure if they are carpenter or not.

Garry Brockley

Ants, birds, bats ect are all normal fauna for a tree.
without any photo's of the tree we are thousands of miles away and in the dark and you want us to tell you if your tree is ok??

Get an arborist report done if your worried and if it comes back that the tree just needs pruning or dead wooding accept it, just because a tree has a couple of holes doesn't make it ready to fall on your house.

As for the quotes $2500 for a 75 foot tree sounds about right it depends on the access of course, Tip! never go for the cheapest quote they are usually cheap for a reason, get three quotes, check all insurance documents and training and get a qualified team not john from around the corner, insurance companies are strict about things like registered companies doing the work if any thing should go wrong.

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bleepster

thanks for the reply. i have the number of a local arborist - i'll call and see what they recomend.

i will still post pics and see if those help any further.

i thought maybe the black substance staining the tree would have been a clue, and someone could have responded.

will post again once i get some photos.

thanks again

p.s. - the quotes i recieved were from very reputable companies.

bleepster

Finally have those photos of the tree. we had wind for the past 3 days - gusts of up to 60 MPH and my tree lost most of its leafs.

Pic 1 & 2 is of tree's west side. You can see the black stain coming down trunk

pic 3 is closer - and you can see the hole that squirrels live in

pic 4 is of the east side - hole same height as the hole on west side - this side has black birds living in it

pic 5 is of the canopy east side.

I know there are a few dead limbs that we will have pruned. But do these pictures help you experts out? Do I need anything with more detail?

thanks for any help you may offer.

Attached Thumbnails

         

irishjoy

The black stain on your oak could be phytophthora stem canker ( I could not see from photo, just making an educated guess) anyway absolutely have the tree carefully checked by an arborist. Try to find one that does NOT remove trees as a regular business. You may have to pay for the consultation and ask if he or she is going to climb into the tree to closely observe the cavities, I would. Too far away to be of any more help,Carson certified arborist

Garry Brockley

absolutely i would second that.

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bleepster

thanks for the replies. i called an arborist yesterday and left them a amessage to get back with me. i will have this tree assessed and report back with the findings.

thanks again

bleepster

The arborist called me. I explained to him my findings and he said if I was really worried, he would come out right away to assess the tree. But he recomended to wait until spring, when the leafs start forming. he said he can tell much more about a tree when you can examine its foilage.

I have no problem waiting until spring. I just want to be sure though, are his statements correct?

Brent Ferris

Well obviously, if you're unsure, call another. The stain could be from a fungal infection, perhaps bacterial, or merely water in the wood draining out and tannins from the tree staining the bark. It would be best if someone would climb the tree to assess it -- spending a $100 for a consult for peace of mind is well invested money. The holes are prob not a problem - and the fauna merely take advantage of the available cavities for homes. Again, someone climbing up can assess the size of the holes and the rot around them, and give a guesstimate as to the health and safety of your tree. Having the leaves on gives an idea of deadwood/live wood, but you are interested in trunk safety. Call someone else and be more specific about what you want - and try to judge their knowledge before they climb. Some people just tell you what they think you want to hear, or what will give them another job. Finding someone to give an honest opinion is not easy, but certainly worth the trouble,.

From the pics, it looks like the tree is more like 2 feet in diameter and 7 feet in circumference. While a violent storm could knock over the tree, by the time you get a wind strong enough, mostly you're wondering if the house is staying.

In our area, $2700 seems a bit low.

__________________
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)

bleepster

2' in diameter? are you kidding me?
that pic (pic #4) of the house in the background, that tree is covering over 2-24" windows, and them some. that deck is 12' long and the base of the trunk hides 2/3 of it. I know how to measure.

Brent Ferris

I'm glad you can measure - but the photo suggests the trunk hides 1- 1/2 windows 2 1/2 to 3 feet - remember you're there looking at it, I'm only guessing at a photo.

__________________
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)