Old tree - still healthy?

Prairie Orca

My place has a lot of trees, especially elms, but this one is my main concern right now. It appears to be the oldest tree on the property, and I'm not sure if it needs more attention or not. (We moved in just over a year ago.)


One of the tallest trees in the yard. Not sure of its exact height.


The length from my wrist to the tip of my middle finger is six inches, to give you a basic idea.


This side is wider though, compared to the previous. I'd say the tree's circumference at the base is 5 feet. Don't mind the rope - it was being temporarily used to pull a much younger elm away from our power lines, but thankfully someone finally came by to cut that one down so the rope is coming off soon.


I believe it was late July when this limb suddenly snapped on a windy day. My dad sawed it off in early August. When it fell, the entire house shook. I forget the exact ring count for this limb, but I think it was more than thirty.


A scar from some sort of splitting that I've never really seen before.


A more recent split, with fungus/bacteria/something.


A more scary-looking split.


Looks like a big branch broke off some years ago. There's a white growth that you can see - it has vertical indented lines.


Another branch that had broken off.

Things I'm worried about:

- The splitting in the limbs. Is it just natural, or is it something to be concerned with? Is it caused by all the weight that accumulates as the limb grows? On that note...
- Trimming. Should this be looked into to maintain the tree's health?
- The white thing. Or is it nothing to worry about?
- Dutch elm disease. I wish for this tree to die of old age. What wallet and environmentally friendly methods are there for prevention? I've been looking and so far I haven't found any definite answers.

And... any guesses in regards of its age? There's a painting of this place showing the tree as a sapling, but there's no date.

Thanks for reading.

Attached Thumbnails

           

Brent Ferris

Elms hybridize freely, so they can be tough to identify - but identification will help answer your questions. How long are the leaves? what are the margins like- coarsely serrate, finely serrate....? Are the surfaces rough? Do you have any pictures of seeds - looks like a small seed surrounded by a wing.
Need more pics.
Take a little piece of bark, and break it from front to back -- if it shows alternating white and brown layers then it is likely an American Elm (Ulmus americana).
Elms are fairly tough,and this much breakage suggests Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila) American Elm is susceptible to Dutch Elm disease, Siberian Elm is not. There are many types of Elms. ID is crucial to helping you out.

The horizontal marks in pics 2, 3 and maybe 4 suggest wire surrounding the tree for clotheslines or cables. The tube coming out in pic # 5 suggests drainage tube, or protection for the end of a cable.

__________________
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Prairie Orca

Are you referring to the six pictures in the attached thumbnails? There's nine in my post but the first three were not included in the attachment portion for some reason.

Wires in a beautiful tree? That makes me pretty angry. My mom just told me that some of the owners in previous years have stuck large nails and stuff in the trees around the yard to hang up bird feeders and wooden decorations. I'm not impressed with those people at all - we don't do that kind of abuse.

The white thing doesn't really look artificial to me, but I may be wrong. My digital camera refused to focus on it so it may be hard to see the details; it has deep grooves in it, like you would see on the underneath of a mushroom. I suppose the best way to know is to get a ladder and check it out more closely, as it's a little ways up the tree.

I'm pretty sure it's an American elm. I don't recall seeing any seeds from it this year, but my memory may just be failing me.

Took the following pictures today before the daylight went away...


Looks like the bark alternates between brown and white.


This leaf is a little over 4".


Not sure what kind of serration this is called. Top side felt kinda rough; if you pass your finger over quickly it's hard to tell, but if you slow down and pay attention you can feel a fine, scaly roughness.


The underside of the leaf felt smooth.

Attached Thumbnails

       

Brent Ferris

I agree with your assessment. It is most likely American Elm. Before Dutch Elm disease, these elms often grew about 120-140 feet in height, with a crown spread of 80-120 feet and lasted between 200 and 300 years. They were a beautiful tree on the landscape, and easily identified from a distance.

Dutch Elm disease has devastated the elms. It is now hard to find elms over 50 years of age. In Ontario, the first wave came thru around the mid 60's. Most -- but not all -- of the large elms succumbed. Another wave has come thru in the last 10 years. Treatment wise, I am not aware of any treatment that guarantees success. I heard about an injection system that cost thousands of dollars, with about a 50% success rate.
This link will give you some info Dutch Elm Disease

Generally, I have found:
1. the more isolated the trees are (from other susceptible elms), the more likely they are to survive (minimizes the possibility of root grafting)
2. if an elm shows signs of Dutch Elm Disease, cut it down and dispose of the infected tissue immediately - burning or burying. If you feel you must keep the wood, run the trunk thru a debarker and take off the outer 1 inch of wood (sawmilling would also work, discarding the outer inch of the trunk). This is the area the Elm Bark beetle makes its galleries in, and it is the Elm Bark beetle that carries the disease. Unfortunately, this only helps mostly with European Elm Bark Beetle; the native beetle often attacks limbs apart from
the trunk.
3. Keep the tree as healthy as possible.
a. Pruning only after frost in the fall, and before spring thaw, and dispose of the pruned material immediately.
b. Feed the tree with organic only fertilizers - bonemeal, bloodmeal, potash, and liquid seaweed.
c. Ensure the tree has lots of room to grow - one of biggest problems trees have is interference from added decks, patios, driveways, additional soil - things that people want, but don't help the tree - because of cut roots, change of drainage and water infiltration, smothering, etc. Even excess nitrogen to make the grass look greener is not beneficial for tree growth. Understand that a common rule of thumb is tree roots extend out about 3 feet in radius per inch diameter of trunk. So, all things being equal, a 30 inch diameter tree has the potential to extend out 90 feet in all directions - looking for food and water. As trees get bigger and bigger, one of their biggest problems is running out of growing space.
d During droughty weather, hopefully the tree can get additional water - about an inch of water a week is recommended. THis usually means turning on the sprinkler at 2300, and shutting it off when you get up in the morning, one day per week during droughts.
e. Remove hazardous limbs before they snap off. A good arborist should be able to help you. The limbs that have broken off may have been due to focussed wind bursts, but more likely due to a problem with the tree. And a knowledgeable professional can help you assess the problems, and address the ways to reverse the effects. For example, brittle limbs suggest problems with water availability. If the downspout from the house used to drain towards the tee, and this has been changed, those roots that took in water from that source will be starved, and the crown of the tree will suffer. If the broken limbs and/or dead limbs are on one side of the tree, look to see what would affect drainage/water availability on that side. Knowledgeable professionals can identify problems that most people never think anything of,
4. Get your neighbours on board to keep your area free of Dutch Elm disease. It is always really disappointing to maximize your efforts, and see them all go to waste, because a thoughtless neighbour couldn't be bothered (or couldn't afford) to look after their tree(s). If you are in a small rural area, this might be more easily accomplished, than if you are in or near one of the cities.

And as far as wires, metal hooks and other "neat" things in trees, like clotheslines, or clothesline pulleys, and a whole range of nefarious items, we tree people run into fairly often. We don't like them, but we have to expect them and look out for them. I am glad you don't share the need to add ornaments to the trunks.

PS And yes, I was referring to the 6 thumbnails that were posted.

__________________
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)