Need ID for neighbor's tree post-Irene socking...

senorchaos

Hey guys... first time poster here (go easy on me)
Looking to ID this tree that was in my neighbor's yard. Everyone loved the tree and he's not too savvy with this interwebs stuff, so I decided to take it upon myself to find out just what the heck kind of tree this is.

Location: Long Island (south shore), New York, USA

Any help is greatly appreciated. Let me know if you need any more info or a closeup on any of the leaves, etc, etc, etc.

THX!

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superjunior

looks like a sumac

George Valentine

I can't help you identifying that tree but, if was me, I would be trying to get that tree back on its feet and support it at the trunk.

If the tree is so well appreciated by everyone near by, maybe everyone could pinch-in for the costs of trying to salvage it.

I would get a small crane and an arborist, I would have it "slinged" at selected branches and gently brought back to the upright position without lifting it and disconnecting it at the base, where is still attached. Removing the grass at a 50cm radius from the trunk (1 meter round), making sure the roots that are still attached at the back (position of fall) aren't cut, digging a little further down at the front where roots have been savaged, built a good base with fertilizer/manure and rich compost mix with to soil, to give the roots and good base and base to re-grow.

I would built a metal "guard" around the trunk to support the tree and this metal guard system has been used many times to protect also young trees when planted in public places, particularly near roads and footpaths. I will try to demonstrate with a picture what I have in mind.

There is obvious that the metal frame is composed of 4 to 6 legs (metal rod) inserted into the ground about 1 meter. The top metal ring is made into 2 halves so it can be inserted/removed easily, and it has 4 extensions with a secondary ring (also in 2 halves) with a rubber pad installed on the inside of it (at the trunks point of contact). The 4 extensions and the inner ring are all adjustable to maintain a firm but adjustable grip as the tree grows...!

This can all be too late already, if the tree has been removed completely, in any case, there is possible to salvage some trees from these sort of nature events. Some will never re-connect at the root point and will die/dry, some will re-connect and live a very long life, the question is, is it worth it, or how much does that tree represents to you and, can you afford to have such job performed...???

Cheers
George

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Brent Ferris

I agree with superjunior - Common Sumac (Rhus typhina). If you cut back the top substantially, you may be able to stand the tree back up, and support it. Generally Sumac has soft shallow roots. It is also alleopathic, meaning it secrets chemicals in the soil to kill off the competition., THe bits within the red fruiting bodies are edible, high concentration of Vit C - but takes getting used to,

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senorchaos

WOW! Thank you all so much for your help!

Ideally, setting it back up would have been great, but as you can see, it was blocking the sidewalk. Town of Hempstead serviceman came along with chainsaw and well... yeah, bye bye tree.