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PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 7:48 pm 
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Hello, I have just purchased an 1900 farm house and in front of the house is this beautifully standing tree. No one seems to know what it is. It shows no sign of distress. I can imagine, over 112 years, it grow to be this size and offer shade and playground to family and the children. I come to you hoping that anyone seen this type of tree , so that we can proudly present to our visitors. On its trunk, beside green moss, cavities, there are thousands of little holes all over, from ground to branches. We want to protect this tree from whatever is drilling holes on it. I can feel its pain. Can any one help??? Thanks

Chinadoll


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File comment: tunk with green moss, cavity and holes
trunk.JPG
trunk.JPG [ 192.04 KiB | Viewed 6718 times ]
File comment: Leaves show no sign of damage
tree 2.JPG
tree 2.JPG [ 104.99 KiB | Viewed 6718 times ]
File comment: beautifully standing in front of 1900 farm house
Tree 1.JPG
Tree 1.JPG [ 154.85 KiB | Viewed 6718 times ]
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:25 pm 
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Are you back east somewhere?

The view of the tree bole is sideways - I saved it and rotated it 90 degrees - so the lines are clear. Those look like they're made by sap suckers, and sap suckers/flickers/woodpeckers generally look for this once the tree is in stress, probably from some kind of insect but it could be other reasons.

Attachment:
trunk.JPG
trunk.JPG [ 205.56 KiB | Viewed 6709 times ]


We'll need a little help with more photos - try to get a better shot of the leaves. Pull a branch away from the rest and get a photo so that we can see if those are individual leaves or if they are leaflets, and give us a ruler or something for scale. The margins (edges) look smooth (versus toothed) so I'm guessing it isn't an elm or a basswood. Is there any nut or fruit or fruiting body in view? Please send a shot (again, with something for scale, whether a coin or a ruler or whatever we will recognize and know the size of.)

Also please take a photo of the base of the tree, where the trunk meets the ground and some of the area around it - perhaps that bank has sloughed a bit and buried the base too much, or there has been activity on the ground under it to cause damage. I'm guessing it just gets precipitation for watering?

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PostPosted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 7:33 am 
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Sapsuckers make rows of holes.

I would hire a certified arborist to come out and assess the ID and health of your tree. It is spectacular.

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PostPosted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 1:15 pm 
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Hello everyone,
My farm house is located in NorthEast PA. I just got the house in June, so, I do not know if the tree bears any fruit or nuts. I am so sorry for taking such a long time to get a picture for reference (short person needs help to reach for branches !) I am enclosing the leave, branch with potential fruit/nut or some sort, and the base as you requested. I might need your help on rotating the pictures again. If this is the work a sapsuckers, they have been feasted on the tree for years. How can an Arborist help to restore the tree to its healthy stage? What can I do at the mean time?
I thank you in advance to help my tree!

Chinadoll


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Base.JPG
Base.JPG [ 175.28 KiB | Viewed 6663 times ]
Leaves1.JPG
Leaves1.JPG [ 116.32 KiB | Viewed 6663 times ]
LeaveMeasured.JPG
LeaveMeasured.JPG [ 129.09 KiB | Viewed 6663 times ]
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 3:21 pm 
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Thanks for the photos! At first glance I don't know that that flower/fruit is, but I can look it up. I'm running errands today so will follow up on that this evening.

Here is the tree, and the thing about the base of it is that it has a lot of stuff growing up around it. If you take a rake or a hoe and carefully pull back the grass and dirt, you need to expose the flare. The base of your tree is literally being smothered by the grass and dirt piled up on it.

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OldTree-1.png
OldTree-1.png [ 569.36 KiB | Viewed 6655 times ]


For reference, take a look at the [url=http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Pecan-Tree-Champion-Weatherford_vq2196.htmstory about a champion sized pecan tree in Texas[/url]. At the bottom you'll see a [url=http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garden/category/id/37/]link to a page with photo links[/url] If you look through those you'll see that the tree needs the flare exposed. You need to be careful not to damage the real roots, but as you get started you'll mostly be in dirt and clearing it.

It should look like this:

Image

or like this:

Image

That will give you something to start with, until I look up the tree or someone else comes along and recognizes it.

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 05, 2012 6:22 am 
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That's an arborist's job. Identify the issue and take steps to fix it. A tree this old and important should be in the care of a professional...in my opinion.

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 05, 2012 4:59 pm 
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However, if you can't afford an arborist, do some reading about the process of removing that soil around the flare, because it needs to be done. The "air spade" is the method recommended as best and here is some information about it.

If that isn't possible or affordable, then carefully removing the built up soil (and if you need a second opinion, you can post photos back to the thread to see what folks here think) then careful raking, hoeing, then brushing (broom, stiff-bristled brush, etc.) or even a nozzle and water pressure to slowly remove it. You don't want to damage the bark or surface of the root. You could come into adventitious roots - those sprout from the stem or trunk, above the root flare. Work around that until you're sure it's not needed and it can be trimmed with a flush cut and the bark will heal over.

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