Tree care / repair
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 1 Japanese Maple Why top when proper pruning and thinning yields this? (When viewing the album in slideshow, use text under frame for full screen enlargements) |  2 Prevent sunburned trunks My preference for trunk wrap: window screen double wrapped. This stays cool and allows the tree to acclimatize, because it doesn\'t stop all the light. |  3 Kerby Oregon Treehouse For a treehouse this low, I\'d recommend a stilt support to lessen damage to the tree |
 4 Cabling silk tree - 1/16 Small 1/16" cable for small tree. Aid to prevent "V" shape union from splitting. Homeowner size repair option. Save big bracing for arborists. |  5 Portland treehouse Tis treehouse has one stilt support, and is anchored in a way to allow some future trunk expansion |  6 Spruce Likely a natural graft of two trees when young. 6 miles from Seaside 100 feet from USA\'s largest sitka spruce |
 Download WMV  7VIDEO: Branch Removal Removing branch with the "3 Cut" method. Prescribed method is 2nd cut farthest out. My style varies when I have a hand-hold. |  8 Crimping tool Molds ferrule tight on cable |  9 Wrapping chain / bad idea Damaging homeowner attempt. |
 10 Remove chain / add cable. Inserting anchor / far better. Cable clamps are short-term, light duty. Commercial tree repair cabling supplies are better yet. |  11 Aerating compact soil Tree leaned due to soil damage |  12 In Tualatin Tree rubs gutter / roof - needs redirection |
 13 Shift canopy away Select best "leaders", remove the leaders near building, then let canopy develop |  14 Girdled by staking rope Deodar cedar vitality strangled. Rope is embedded - tiem for removal |  15 Flowering plum Weak included bark is the dark areas - no bond. The cap is set on a horizontal cut. This included bark is from insufficient pruning |
 16 Maple / previously topped Decending brown is rot / decay. Darker brown edges of "stain" appearance is tree\'s attempt to isolate decay |  17 Leyland cypress - only 21 years old 45\' wide canopy already! Not a good small area hedge tree |  18 Tree in deck Don\'t wait until the trunk grows into wood. |
 19 Tree in deck / same Cut away wood to allow room for growth. |  20 Salvaging a tree This tree was girdled with wire. The topping cut above the lower limbs, shows that topping can be beneficial in special cases |  21 Hand cut A proper cut is outside the branch collar - should leave slight bump - cutting blade is on tree side of hand pruner |
 22 Topiary pine tree These need to be sheared when new needles emerge from "candles" - once stems age, new buds won\'t form at the cut |  23 Wood decay Not always fatal - fungal growth like this, or larger, are evidence of wood decay. Big growths are called "conks |  24 Root preservation Many times it is better to tunnel under a root instead of cutting it |
 25 Excluded bark ridge When the bark in-between leaders ridges up, that\'s stronger than "included bark" which enfolds |  26 Proper hand saw cut Don\'t cut the center bark ridge when removing a co-dominant leader - the center may appear as a crease at times |  27 Handsaw cut An undercut is sometimes needed. A bark ridge - wrapping the top here - should not be cut. Visible branch collars should be avoided also |
 28 Improper cut Left stub protrudes too far from branch collar / right stub is too long too |  29 hand cut Proper pruning cuts leave a branch collar which protrudes |  30 branch collar on cedar On some trees, the branch collar which must not be cut off, is easy to distinguish |
 31 Cut on same cedar tree A proper pruning cut, leaving the entire undamaged branch collar |  32 Improper branch removal The tearing and peeling of bark here would have been prevented by removing the limbs in pieces - rather than one fast cut |  33 Wide branch angle A "U" shape like this, where a branch meets the trunk is ideal for continuous layers of wood to grow and strengthen the union |
 34 Topped tree One name for this is hat-racking, a very damaging way to prune trees. |  35 Sunburn The trunk of this tree was sunburned because other trees that shaded it were removed, allowing hot sun to scorch tissue |  36 Embedded hook Don\'t hang plants by hooking around a branch. Thread an eye into it instead |
 37 Bronze birch borer Evidence of bronze birch borers are the "D" shaped holes |  38 Included bark When bark enfolds like this, no good union of wood buildup will occur - just pinched bark |  39 A dead stub left in place The longer it stays, the longer the new growth can\'t close over and seal that area of the tree - remove dead stubs |
 40 Dead birch tree pair Mulitple deaths together are a "red flag" that something serious happened - possibly even herbicide poisoning of the soil - see article at www.mdvaden.com in "articles" |  41 A conk An external growth of wood decay fungus is called a "conk" |  42 "V" shape union failure A weak "V" shape union can easily split like this. Cabling can help. Proper pruning from year #1 can remove several problems like this |
 43 Trenching for root barrier Dig, chop, cut or grind the trench. If roots have already invaded - cut them as cleanly as possible. |  44 Slide barrier into trench It\'s as easy as it looks. Slide it in and fill the soil back into the trench. |  45 Bacterial wetwood / maple Bacterial Wetwood or Slime Flux on a maple tree. Amazingly, it causes wood to resist decay, but also hinders closure of wounds. Other trees like elm, poplar, etc. can get this - not common |
 46 Bacterial disease in cherry This dark amber color jell is a "red flag" symptom of bacterial canker in cherry. Not much to do about eradication |  47 Big cavity in large oak It would be better if the wound was not there - but it is. The tree should be okay. A wound like this should not be filled with concrete or hollowed out with machines. Just let it be |  48 Oak galls Oak apples is one figurative name for these. In the Pacific NW this is usually a reactive growth resulting from wasps laying eggs and the larvae developing - no reason for concern |
 49 Tree staking - not needed here Trees should only be staked if absolutely needed, such as bare root trees. Many balled and container trees develop stronger trunks when no stakes and ties are used. |  50 Paperbark maple Peeling bark is not always a bad sign. Paperbark maple like these have bark that peels or flakes off. Other trees like river birch have this attribute |  51 Hoyt Arboretum / lightning Douglas fir in Portland. This wound runs up the side out of sight at least 60\'. Some arborists can install protection hardware if the location is susceptible |
 52 Sunburn damage Another photo of sunburn damage. The tissue burned, died and peeled off the sunset side of this ash tree. New tissue started to enclose but the tree declined |  53 Grafted tissue One of the challenges of pruning is making a judgement as to whether the tissue is grafted and whether to cut off the entire stub or leave a grafted portion |  54 Rainy weather splits tree A split sweet gum tree. This is the result of a weak "V" shape union of two trunks. Rain and mild winds on a fall day brought this trunk over. A tree like this could have been cabled and saved |
 55 Fasciation on Flowering Cherry Fasciation is an abnormality in plant twig development that causes flattened or mishaped growth. This is not a crisis when occassional fasciated twigs are discovered. |  56 Converting a sprout to a spur If not too close to another branch or spur, why not leave part of a sprout? |  57 Cut sprout Cut to about 1 or 2 buds long, then wait |
 58 After a couple or few years The same was done to this previous water sprout. Now it is ready for flowering and fruiting |  59 fruitspur2 Close-up |  60 fruitspur1 Previous 5 cuts indicated. This was not 5 years, but 2 growing seasons which included light summer thinning and training cuts |
 61 Tree burned by hedge fire 1 of about 4 trees charred by juniper hedge that ignited |  62 Left-overs of a V union Another flowering plum dissected to show included bark from weak V union. |  63 Good mushrooms Mycorrhizal fungi live with tree roots |
 64 Central Point House and Tree Failure to maintain trees can be dangerous |  65 Bladder mites Small mites trigger a reaction on the leaf surface. Looks bad, but not very harmful |  66 Tree roots and rocks Amazing how trees adapt. Rock is not ideal for root growth |
 67 This is not pollarding Proper pollarding is not grotesque like this amateur hack job |  68 Oregon Caves When bent, trees can naturally self-correct straightness, due to plant hormones within |  69 Pine pitch moth larvae After pulling a chunk of pitch away, the larvae is visible |
 70 Tree roots Wind damage. This shows where the term root plate comes from |  71 Tualatin, Oregon street tree Fasciated tips on red maple street tree. Most red maples near this tree were similar |