Trees are sensitive creatures...

blufford · #1 07/21/08, 05:52 AM

From the University of Florida, IFAS Extension

"A small trunk wound inflicted by heavy equipment during construction or at any other time can cause major injury to the tree. Trees cannot replace injured tissue (heal) like animals, therefore injury permanently reduces the trees capacity to fight future stress caused by insects, disease or other factors. In addition, many roots are destroyed as heavy equipment operates over the root system. Even one pass over the root system with a bulldozer, earth scraper or other piece of heavy equipment can cause significant root damage. Do not allow equipment to operate within the dripline of trees which are to be saved."

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg089

paulaswolfpack · #2 07/21/08, 06:53 AM

good info,paula

Rick · #3 07/21/08, 08:09 AM

We have several trees where the dozer blade scraped the bark off of the trunks, when we had our meadow cleared in 2003. Is there something to apply to the tree to protect the area?

Thanks

Rick

Quote:

Originally Posted by blufford

From the University of Florida, IFAS Extension

"A small trunk wound inflicted by heavy equipment during construction or at any other time can cause major injury to the tree. Trees cannot replace injured tissue (heal) like animals, therefore injury permanently reduces the trees capacity to fight future stress caused by insects, disease or other factors. In addition, many roots are destroyed as heavy equipment operates over the root system. Even one pass over the root system with a bulldozer, earth scraper or other piece of heavy equipment can cause significant root damage. Do not allow equipment to operate within the dripline of trees which are to be saved."

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg089

BaronsMom · #4 07/21/08, 08:27 AM

At one time, people were encouraged to use repair compounds when they pruned a tree or when it was injured.

That isn't recommended hardly at all any more.

I asked our extension agent who specializes in trees/horticulture and he said the reason is that when you put something over a tree wound (even a pruning spot) it actually encourages mold and decay which attracts insects like carpenter ants. The tree is better off without it.

I have a beautiful pin oak that was gouged by road workers doing some line work. It is "ooozing" now, but there is nothing I can do for it.

Rick · #5 07/21/08, 08:44 AM

Thanks Baronsmom.

Drizler · #6 07/21/08, 09:03 AM

We have had a lot of them get everything from dozer barked to wood pecker riddled. They all seemed to heal up and keep right on going. One of them got a dozer caught against it slipping on a wet rock and really shredded in 1988. Not its 40 feet tall and just has a large oval tear mark where the D6 clawed it up. We even had a 6 ' pine tree that a pony completely stripped and ate. It just bled from a couple hundred places and looked dead as a door nail for a year then started growing everything back. Now it is huge and you can't tell at all. All the trees that got the tops chopped off by the ice storm 10 yeas ago have grown new tops and are nearly normal though they looked ugly a few years. The only thing I have ever seen kill one of mine was lightning. One in our pasture got stuck 4 years ago and now its a crow perch for the local birds. Not that I recommend busting up trees and possibly it has something to do with location but they are pretty resiliant if you give them lots of water.

Quint · #7 07/22/08, 02:32 AM

I have two cedars that had various heavy equipment run over the area around them when I built the house. They've never recovered and look worse every year. I'm going to take them out this winter probably and yank the stumps this spring.

The oaks did ok since I protected them better but the little cedars are done for. Not that I care particularly but the wildlife seemed to really love them. Blue Jays liked them and the turkeys seemed to always like to hang out under them for some reason. They'll get replaced with some pines or firs of some sort.

EDDIE BUCK · #8 07/22/08, 12:01 PM

If one ever gets that "STRING TRIMMER DISEASE"most wont survive,especially the young ones.

Eddie

texican · #9 07/23/08, 12:57 PM

Depends on the tree, from my experience. Oak trees and a lot of weed trees can survive anything, shy of being removed from the ground. Other trees, like hickories, when old, cannot survive a single root removed, or any kind of open wound. Had two two hundred year old hickories die in my yard from such simple injuries.

Pine trees around here, if old, cannot deal with injuries... pine beetles will get in the wound and kill em. I put roofing tar on a huge ol pine, where I knicked it with the tractor... its healing over... without it, it would have perished like every other pine tree I hit...