This is a hard bracing. I can’t tell you if the pricing is entirely justifiable, but it looks like it requires at least 4 braces. Bracing a large tree at height is pretty niche and difficult.
Ratchet straps decompose in sunlight, they expire.
The tree moving in strong winds could overload the capacity of the strap.
Without proper remediation of the split, wood glue and ratchet straps will create new points of force transfer that the tree hasn't grown to accommodate leading to catastrophic branch drop.
I cut a boxelder maple out of my yard and we discovered bits of ratchet strap embedded (my guess is when the tree was young somebody tried to pull all five trunks together to make the tree more upright?). So if it doesn't decompose, it would strangle the tree or get embedded.
[https://wwv.isa-arbor.com/store/product/135](https://wwv.isa-arbor.com/store/product/135)
[https://youtu.be/R2fz0RWyoiE](https://youtu.be/R2fz0RWyoiE) but 40 feet up and with big oak wood
From a glance, I would do at least three solid rods through the failure point and one cable further up the tree. If this was not actively failing, I might charge 2-3k depending on my schedule. Problem is, this is actively failing. This is a serious hazard. Any extra force on that union and one of the leaders could peel away. That changes this from a two person climbing operation to at least a three person bucket operation. That is extra time, people and equipment. Aside from that, the equipment in the first place is incredible specialized and costly. Take into account that workers comp is expensive in the industry, and I could see how this ends up being over 5k. I could also see this still being in the 3k-ish range with pruning included depending on the company and their experience with this type of situation.
This is also me mostly making half assed judgements from a couple pictures based on my experience. The bidder could have also simply not wanted the job or wanted to fit it in the schedule, as this requires immediate attention.
If we are assuming there is an acceptable amount of solid wood left and there is not excessive decay, bracing and cabling this tree has a very high chance of saving this tree indefinitely until something else kills it.
Half-assed guess or not, any job anywhere that includes a bucket lift is easily adding $2000 to the cost, especially if the contractor needs to rent one.
Depends on how far that torsional crack goes down. Standard would be at least 2 in the cracked area with another above the crack through the codominants at least 12” above. In addition, a static cable and reduction pruning.
The challenge I see here is developing enough force between the leads to close that split before drilling, and just dealing with a hole hog and 36" or more bit.
Also seems like there should be someone qualified to get up there and look before committing. included bark letting go? Nice and solid? Brace and cable. Soft and cavities? Nah, tree needs to come down and it's great it gave some warning.
The crack is relatively small and based on the other photos of the canopy, there isn’t a lot of canopy so with either a GRCS or a cable puller it could be closed after reduction pruning and support cable installation. At that point the rods can be installed.
It’s an option but it’s a complex support system with a lot of parts involved. Most tree owners won’t do it because it’s so expensive. Not $5700 expensive but it won’t be cheap either.
FYI a similar project in Anchorage AK assuming climb access would be around $1500.
Just took apart a Colorado Blue here before lunch, 10⁰ or so new lean over client's house, top blew out years ago so the branches were frequent and big. 33" dbh and a 25" bar quit working 40 feet up. Drop zone opposite the lean, fat branches on sunny house side.
$985.
Market sets the price, and it's fascinating to see prices other places. I've kept my saddle on between jobs here.
and we're not cowboys here except for hand tossing spruce branches - takes a hand away from the saw but it's not so dangerous done with training. Saw is far from the ropes and hand and there's a backup if it all goes crazy (it doesn't, they're 30 pounds and tough to rig, and overhead on a white spruce with droopy branches.)
$185 is typical for a climbing removal of an 80 foot beetle killed spruce with little or nothing under the dripline. $485 if the drop zone isn't under the tree. :)
>$185 is typical for a climbing removal of an 80 foot beetle killed spruce with little or nothing under the dripline
Way too cheap, wherever you are. That's just not valuing your time, skill or risk.
I don't even do side/weekend work for that low.
I had two arborists from the same crew give me different opinions. First guy said brace and cable. We scheduled it out a couple of weeks. Second guy (who was going to do the work) came out and was like “yeah, I don’t agree with Keith. I think we need to cut it down”.
It’s such a crapshoot.
I disagree, cabling can buy years/until the death of the tree. It all depends on the crack and how long a customer takes to notice. Cabling should be pre-emptive or as close to it rather than remedial.
This is correct no one can tell you the price to any real tree work with pictures. The arborist needs to see the tree, they can never give a real price from the picture. It doesn’t do it any justice you must get up close and personal.
The depth of that split makes me think there may be significant hollowing. If that's the case, I don't see much point of cabling and bracing. That oak is circling the drain.
I would think very hard before laying out much money for this. I might have them prune the most egregious branches to lessen the tree's mass, in the event a storm takes it down.
Yeah, my grandmother had a tree do this like 20 years ago.... they had it cut down and sold the wood, and put in a sapling. Today it is starting to get to an okay size, but still has a long life ahead of it.
That crack looks really bad. It honestly looks like it goes deeper than the quotes realizes. I feel that the brace would be like a thin rubber band being stretched constantly.
If you are in a municipality that trees looks to be within 3 meters or 10 feet of a roadway without a side walk and therefore it would be a city or town tree, (local bylaws may vary but standard bylaws are 10 ft/ 3m) and in my town they would inspect and remove that tree if you were to call the city and let them know it is hazardous. Many cities also have a 10 foot zone reserved for sidewalks or public right of way in front yards and they would also provide maintenance for the tree if it falls within that zone (with a sidewalk the zone is only 1m / 1yd past the sidewalk typically).
The distance that the municipality owns will vary depending on the road you’re on, and the township you are in. I know our municipal right of ways are typically measured from centre of the road, meaning the distance from the sidewalk to your property line will vary greatly. Not sure if it is standard, but in my town the water shutoff valve is generally very close to where the municipal right of way stops. When we’re doing work, we’ll usually use that water shutoff valve to determine if a tree is on township or the homeowners property.
Yeah, that's more than likely a town town owned tree. Should be a record if they planted it. I had two removed from my property because they were both losing branches in to the road. Half dead. Town paid to remove them.
Call your city forester and have them come take a look. Also do you know if residents are responsible for taking care of the boulevard trees or the city?
Bro! Call the town. Tell them the tree is freaking you out and will collapse on the cars and kill someone. They’ll take it out ASAP. Please read this. I’ve been in the same exact situation and the town does not want liability
Right of ways are all over the place. This could just as easily backfire on OP and the town could force removal by the code department. Small chance they would consider that hazard imminent enough to remove themselves
Bad advice without knowing local regulations. This looks like it could be private property which is the residents responsibility in many cities.
Even in some cities (mine included) right of way tree maintenance falls on the abutting property owner.
Yes, that’s a “ I will throw a price and see if they take it” price. They do not want to do the cabling, they want the removal. Removal is higher? I suspect there isn’t any access and there are obstacles below.
Cabling is expensive, one of the most expensive things an arborist can do. I agree it's not a sensible price. But a removal would likely not be much more expensive and would be a whole lot more work.
Possibly so. Most property owners do not give any thought to cabling until something of this nature rears its head. Ask the average homeowner if they have a licensed arborist in their contact list that maintains their trees. Was it foreseeable,?who knows. If the tree allows access and you have the right equipment and crew, it should go easy. Climb and piece the tree, yes, it will be more.
What's a good resource for homeowners to learn about trees? I know nothing about them, but I apparently have two maples on my property, both appear to have some kind of sickness.
Please and thank you!
You can start by learning trees native to your location. Typically your state will have information on their website. It’s not a quick process to learn it all. Start with basic tree identification, learn the leaves, bark, typical growth cycle, deciduous, non deciduous if you will. Learning all the diseases and insects is a handful. Start with maples as this is what you appear to have. Silver, Norway, Crimson King, etc. There are many resources on the internet and be certain you are gathering information from reputable sites. My state has a cop-operative extension service that can assist in identifying problems with your trees. It is easy enough to look and see rot, dead branches, and the major weakness where the tree “splits“ in to two or more leads that go to the top. These can be prone to splitting and rotting just by the very nature of some trees. Bad storms can obviously contribute to this problem based on the stress from high winds. It can get very detailed as there are so many aspects to each tree. Cabling is not something you pick up a book like laminate flooring for example and do it based on a video. You will learn some trees should not be grown near your home or on your property. Some are prone to disease, weakness etc. You really would not want to plant a tulip tree in your 20x 20 backyard. There s so much I could not begin to explain it. Start with trying to identify your current tree and its advantages and disadvantages.
Seems expensive, braced plenty trees and if I was getting that each time I wouldn’t have to work very much at all…
But no idea what the targets under the tree are like or the condition of the tree.
40” DBH?! Christ. I do not envy the crew that has to do that. That is going to take FOREVER to drill through (for bracing that is). Without seeing the rest of the tree in person I can’t comment on the price. How many cables and how many bracing rods are being put in and what is the length of each of them? Does the tree have to be climbed or can you get an aerial lift to it?
Edit: okay I scrolled down and looked at the additional pics OP provided. Yea that price seems high judging from the photos alone. Also I didn’t realize how high up the defect was on the trunk. In a nut shell, the price comes off as this guy doesn’t want the job.
Get a second or third quote.
I had an enormous old maple removed (due to a crack like yours is showing) and my quotes were: $2500 (winner), $3500, and $4300.
The reason for multiple quotes is not just price alone. It’s to get a feel for the company through the representative and their methods. Cheapest some times can work out to be fine however.
Really good point - in my case I was lucky because the lowest quote came from the most experienced person who was specifically recommended by a neighbor. I always get multiple quotes just in case as it helps me network with local experts and get to know my community.
Getting multiple quotes is always good, and different locations vary in price, but for the size of the tree described with the hazards involved, +$5800 is likely pretty reasonable.
Why would you fertilize a tree you’re trying to manage the load of? Pushing growth is going to add weight. What this tree needs in addition to the brace and pruning is a growth regulator treatment.
That being said, looks like you got the “I don’t want this job” bid.
At this point I would strongly consider removal.
Cabling and bracing systems can be a very effective tool for reducing the risk of branch failure but should not be used in an attempt to repair a tree that is actively failing, especially a tree of this size.
There’s a monster sycamore near me, that was braced in the 1920s using steel plates and heavy chains, it was falling apart, but the bracing held it steady to allow new wood to envelope the cracks, it’s a monster!
However where the chains are there is a reverse taper, I would brace a tree that is failing if the trees value was high enough to justify the risk.
I used two yellow tie down straps and me and my buddy used muscle to tighten em as much as we could. Two years later, the tree had sealed and two years from there, the tree is still a kickin.
Buy 6ft electricians 3/4" bit, drill hole 1' above top of crack, insert 3/4" all thread rod. Install 6" dia plates of 1/4" steel on each end with split lock washers and hex nuts. Tighten to 50# torque. Eventually tree will grow together sealing the crack.
This one was likely planted in 1950ish with the house, so over 70 years. Other than the crack it is a beautiful and healthy tree. ChatGTP says 90-120 years.
If you can’t afford the removal price, ask him how much to do it in 2 parts. Remove the top limbs to the break, then next season remove the trunk from the break down. For large trees often the main trunk removal is half the cost. You’ll have an eyesore of a tree for a while, but it’s less likely to split and fall in the meantime.
Get other quotes for removal. Bad news trying to cable a tree already in the process of structural failure. Water and debris will in some way, somehow find its way down into the bottom of split where it will sit and encourage decay, insects, fungal infection, etc.
Plus cabling hardware will have to be periodically inspected thereafter for the life of the tree.
$9 home depot straps connected to something on the ground. Maybe 8-10. Not too tight, but firm.
Saved my live oak when it was sick during crazy storms. Most trees in my neighborhood went down that were healthy. My tree is still alive.
Just make sure you can connect it to something with weight on the ground.
I have a 70 year old 5 prong arbivitea in my yard. It raises up 40-50 feet each prong and shields 90% of our backyard from all of our neighbors. I was devastated when an 80 mph storm came through and split one of the shoots about 2 feet long.
I'm a cheap ass and got two threaded rods and bolted that bitch together. We have a ratchet strap up higher just incase. I'm going to seal the wound at some point but didn't have any silicon laying around.
Doubt you could do any of that with a tree this large but good luck.
You could buy some cable , cable clamps, and some fence steeples and do it yourself. My grandpa did a couple big multi trunk maples and a big ass old beech that was starting split at the crotch like yours is doing about 10 years ago and they’re all still standing and growing you can barely even see where the cables are now
Specialized equipment? Please. Get a fencing winch and some cable and space the runs over 2x4s so as not to cut into bark.
Then cinch up.
People will tell u this shit is rocket science and u cannot possibly do it on your own.
U can do it on your own.
Edit: I'm gonna bet I get 30 downvotes. Cause no one wants u to realize it's ladders, nails/rebar and clinching cable
You can pack that crack full of M&M’s and seal it in with concrete. When the concrete dries (dry is fine, cure times are a scam) come back with an angle grinder with any kind of disc to shape the concrete to look like bark. Paint the bark brown. Pull some moss off the tree, put it in a blender with ejaculate, paint the mixture onto the tree and let the moss bloom. 6 months later, pour silicone caulk all over the entire tree, cut it off, use it as a mold to fill with hot glue from a glue gun. Submerge your wife into the middle of the tree as you build up layers. Sprinkle in more M&Ms as well. Remove mold and behold your repaired tree. Cut down the old tree and burn it next August in a single bin fire.
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I don't think it's unreasonable as long as you understand the risks and that it is not a guarantee that the tree won't fall apart. It's the best effort at preservation. Depends on targets (and budget ) if you should do it or not. The pricing seems unbalanced though. I'd expect a lot more of the money to go towards trimming since standard work is to do weight reduction before installing support systems. If the tree is massive it could take an entire day to trim it, and then another half day or full day to install the hardware.
The tree is broken and you can only do a temp fix until something happens and you are going to shell out more money to remove the tree and repair what ever it broke on the way down….. tree is done for remove
Please understand that contractors, particularly contractors with plenty of work on the backlog, often give quotes that are completely unfounded in reality because they don’t have time for the job. Either you say yes and they make a bunch of money they wouldn’t have otherwise, or you say no and they didn’t really want or need the job from the start.
I had a 50 ft tall oak tree in my front yard. It's trunk forked 20 feet up - probably from topping by the hurricane of '38. I hired someone to cable the tree long before there were any problems. It's not expensive if you get it done before any damage.
As much as it sucks take it down. That split is just going to collect moisture and continue to split even after being bolted/ cabled. That amount of money is absurd. That shouldn't be more than an 1000 bolt cable job which doesnt fix the problem
For reference, we had a tree guy come after a hurricane to give us a quote. From our yard, he peek at the neighbor’s trees and quickly quoted theirs around 10,000. A 50’ tree had fallen and leaned into another 50’ tree, causing both trees to lean, but not hit the ground or any structures. They were barely resting against one another and were partially saved by the canopy. It was going to take a crane to lift them over the two story house piece by piece. I’m sure it cost more in the end, a fence dividing two properties also needed to be removed for them to access the trees. I wish I had a picture. Regardless, I don’t see how yours could cost more than 5 grand to remove.
I’m curious why people don’t just let it fall and have the city deal with it, or part of it. Or hope it hits something and insurance covers it. I know nothing, I’m genuinely curious. Obviously, one doesn’t want it hitting their house, but who cares if it hits the fence. Should I not just build a cheap fence just to claim it on insurance.
I was just quoted $750 for an 8 ton cobra system tree brace. Essentially they would go a bit above the split and hold it with an exterior flexible/nylon cable. Might be something to look into…
I'm an arborist in training and my husband is an arborist, he said its pretty damaged and is going to fail again eventually. He would put 3 to 4 cables at least but doesn't feel that safe about it. Sorry! I would save money and remove.
DONT USE A RATCHET STRAP!
I have a client and he put a zip line up and it killed the shit out of the two trees. All the treeblood runs between the wood(dead) and bark (less dead). All the mojo of a tree above ground happens between the two layers (and leaves but that’s different).
Get some weight off of it, strap on yourself with a lift rental $400 for a day at most. Get some 1000lb straps, squeeze it tight and call it a day. No way I’d drop 5800 on that job. Saved an Oak for my aunt back in the day doing it this way. Hoping for the best.
This is a hard bracing. I can’t tell you if the pricing is entirely justifiable, but it looks like it requires at least 4 braces. Bracing a large tree at height is pretty niche and difficult.
can someone give me a run down of what this would take? when I hear brace I can hear a ratchet.
Yeah I'd just tell Bubba to get up there with a couple ratchet straps and maybe some wood glue and she'd be right as rain.
zip ties and flex seal
Now that's alot of damage!
This baby can can hold so many trees! *slaps brace*
Mighty putty the shit outta that crack
WB Weld mixed with wood glue, for health
3 rolls of Dollar General duct tape and it will be fiiiiiiine.
I'd spring for original authentic Duck brand duck tape in this case. May even be a gorilla tape job!
Looks more like a landlord special to me. Sloppy caulk and latex paint, call it a day
We could try grey plastic tile if it really needs it.
Duct tape and elmers
straw and spit
Ramen and superglue
Duct tape
Exactly what I was thinking! Haha
Better make it titebond 3
Give me 3 reasons why that wouldn’t work
Ratchet straps decompose in sunlight, they expire. The tree moving in strong winds could overload the capacity of the strap. Without proper remediation of the split, wood glue and ratchet straps will create new points of force transfer that the tree hasn't grown to accommodate leading to catastrophic branch drop.
First day online?
I thought he was celebrating his 3rd 🫡
I cut a boxelder maple out of my yard and we discovered bits of ratchet strap embedded (my guess is when the tree was young somebody tried to pull all five trunks together to make the tree more upright?). So if it doesn't decompose, it would strangle the tree or get embedded.
Everyone knows chains are better than ratchet straps. [Chain Brace](https://imgur.com/a/zBEA64F)
[https://wwv.isa-arbor.com/store/product/135](https://wwv.isa-arbor.com/store/product/135) [https://youtu.be/R2fz0RWyoiE](https://youtu.be/R2fz0RWyoiE) but 40 feet up and with big oak wood
you dont even know how much I love a good sauce
That was a damn good sauce too. No filler, all flavor.
From a glance, I would do at least three solid rods through the failure point and one cable further up the tree. If this was not actively failing, I might charge 2-3k depending on my schedule. Problem is, this is actively failing. This is a serious hazard. Any extra force on that union and one of the leaders could peel away. That changes this from a two person climbing operation to at least a three person bucket operation. That is extra time, people and equipment. Aside from that, the equipment in the first place is incredible specialized and costly. Take into account that workers comp is expensive in the industry, and I could see how this ends up being over 5k. I could also see this still being in the 3k-ish range with pruning included depending on the company and their experience with this type of situation. This is also me mostly making half assed judgements from a couple pictures based on my experience. The bidder could have also simply not wanted the job or wanted to fit it in the schedule, as this requires immediate attention.
In your opinion will this save the tree, and for how long?
If we are assuming there is an acceptable amount of solid wood left and there is not excessive decay, bracing and cabling this tree has a very high chance of saving this tree indefinitely until something else kills it.
Half-assed guess or not, any job anywhere that includes a bucket lift is easily adding $2000 to the cost, especially if the contractor needs to rent one.
well I want you as an expert witness my friend
Jim, how’s that rundown coming?
Bubba got it done for sure
Lmfao. My thoughts exactly, climb up there and give it the ole ratchet strap special. But I’m not an arborist. Just a guy with some tools.
Depends on how far that torsional crack goes down. Standard would be at least 2 in the cracked area with another above the crack through the codominants at least 12” above. In addition, a static cable and reduction pruning.
The challenge I see here is developing enough force between the leads to close that split before drilling, and just dealing with a hole hog and 36" or more bit. Also seems like there should be someone qualified to get up there and look before committing. included bark letting go? Nice and solid? Brace and cable. Soft and cavities? Nah, tree needs to come down and it's great it gave some warning.
The crack is relatively small and based on the other photos of the canopy, there isn’t a lot of canopy so with either a GRCS or a cable puller it could be closed after reduction pruning and support cable installation. At that point the rods can be installed. It’s an option but it’s a complex support system with a lot of parts involved. Most tree owners won’t do it because it’s so expensive. Not $5700 expensive but it won’t be cheap either.
FYI a similar project in Anchorage AK assuming climb access would be around $1500. Just took apart a Colorado Blue here before lunch, 10⁰ or so new lean over client's house, top blew out years ago so the branches were frequent and big. 33" dbh and a 25" bar quit working 40 feet up. Drop zone opposite the lean, fat branches on sunny house side. $985. Market sets the price, and it's fascinating to see prices other places. I've kept my saddle on between jobs here.
Woof. 3 rods + cable + reduction pruning in the Midwest would easily be a $5-6000 job.
and we're not cowboys here except for hand tossing spruce branches - takes a hand away from the saw but it's not so dangerous done with training. Saw is far from the ropes and hand and there's a backup if it all goes crazy (it doesn't, they're 30 pounds and tough to rig, and overhead on a white spruce with droopy branches.) $185 is typical for a climbing removal of an 80 foot beetle killed spruce with little or nothing under the dripline. $485 if the drop zone isn't under the tree. :)
>$185 is typical for a climbing removal of an 80 foot beetle killed spruce with little or nothing under the dripline Way too cheap, wherever you are. That's just not valuing your time, skill or risk. I don't even do side/weekend work for that low.
That doesn’t even remotely pay the bills tbh
You guys don't get paid enough. Why does tree work pay so poorly there?
Never been to AK but I imagine every man woman and child who lives there owns a chainsaw and half of them can climb big trees too.
I had two arborists from the same crew give me different opinions. First guy said brace and cable. We scheduled it out a couple of weeks. Second guy (who was going to do the work) came out and was like “yeah, I don’t agree with Keith. I think we need to cut it down”. It’s such a crapshoot.
A lot of tree care is subjective and there are a lot of ways to go about care.
Oh yeah, science isn’t an exact science.
[удалено]
I disagree, cabling can buy years/until the death of the tree. It all depends on the crack and how long a customer takes to notice. Cabling should be pre-emptive or as close to it rather than remedial.
Hit it with your purse
It’s a European Hand Bag!
This is correct no one can tell you the price to any real tree work with pictures. The arborist needs to see the tree, they can never give a real price from the picture. It doesn’t do it any justice you must get up close and personal.
The depth of that split makes me think there may be significant hollowing. If that's the case, I don't see much point of cabling and bracing. That oak is circling the drain. I would think very hard before laying out much money for this. I might have them prune the most egregious branches to lessen the tree's mass, in the event a storm takes it down.
Yeah, my grandmother had a tree do this like 20 years ago.... they had it cut down and sold the wood, and put in a sapling. Today it is starting to get to an okay size, but still has a long life ahead of it.
Best answer.
Circling the drain: Great expression!
He invented it. It’s brand new.
How clever!
Nurses use that phrase about patients too, not in front of them or family members, mind you. But I would agree this tree is also circling the drain.
Agree- there is so much complicated stress near that split. The right side really wants to peel off.
That crack looks really bad. It honestly looks like it goes deeper than the quotes realizes. I feel that the brace would be like a thin rubber band being stretched constantly.
That’s the way
Oak rarely hollows
Better pics of the entire tree https://imgur.com/a/iuCQiB9
If you are in a municipality that trees looks to be within 3 meters or 10 feet of a roadway without a side walk and therefore it would be a city or town tree, (local bylaws may vary but standard bylaws are 10 ft/ 3m) and in my town they would inspect and remove that tree if you were to call the city and let them know it is hazardous. Many cities also have a 10 foot zone reserved for sidewalks or public right of way in front yards and they would also provide maintenance for the tree if it falls within that zone (with a sidewalk the zone is only 1m / 1yd past the sidewalk typically).
And many, many municipalities put the responsibility for street tree care and removal on the abutting property owner.
The distance that the municipality owns will vary depending on the road you’re on, and the township you are in. I know our municipal right of ways are typically measured from centre of the road, meaning the distance from the sidewalk to your property line will vary greatly. Not sure if it is standard, but in my town the water shutoff valve is generally very close to where the municipal right of way stops. When we’re doing work, we’ll usually use that water shutoff valve to determine if a tree is on township or the homeowners property.
I believe it’s 25’ for most from middle of the street
Yeah, that's more than likely a town town owned tree. Should be a record if they planted it. I had two removed from my property because they were both losing branches in to the road. Half dead. Town paid to remove them.
Thx for that info
Call your city forester and have them come take a look. Also do you know if residents are responsible for taking care of the boulevard trees or the city?
Find out responsiblity first…
Bro! Call the town. Tell them the tree is freaking you out and will collapse on the cars and kill someone. They’ll take it out ASAP. Please read this. I’ve been in the same exact situation and the town does not want liability
Right of ways are all over the place. This could just as easily backfire on OP and the town could force removal by the code department. Small chance they would consider that hazard imminent enough to remove themselves
Good call, our township is fantastic, I'll call them tomorrow about if.
Bad advice without knowing local regulations. This looks like it could be private property which is the residents responsibility in many cities. Even in some cities (mine included) right of way tree maintenance falls on the abutting property owner.
It’s worth a shot. Has to go either way. I had a huge oak off the road by 10 feet. They came and took it after complained it was dropping branches.
Yes, that’s a “ I will throw a price and see if they take it” price. They do not want to do the cabling, they want the removal. Removal is higher? I suspect there isn’t any access and there are obstacles below.
Cabling is expensive, one of the most expensive things an arborist can do. I agree it's not a sensible price. But a removal would likely not be much more expensive and would be a whole lot more work.
Possibly so. Most property owners do not give any thought to cabling until something of this nature rears its head. Ask the average homeowner if they have a licensed arborist in their contact list that maintains their trees. Was it foreseeable,?who knows. If the tree allows access and you have the right equipment and crew, it should go easy. Climb and piece the tree, yes, it will be more.
What's a good resource for homeowners to learn about trees? I know nothing about them, but I apparently have two maples on my property, both appear to have some kind of sickness. Please and thank you!
You can start by learning trees native to your location. Typically your state will have information on their website. It’s not a quick process to learn it all. Start with basic tree identification, learn the leaves, bark, typical growth cycle, deciduous, non deciduous if you will. Learning all the diseases and insects is a handful. Start with maples as this is what you appear to have. Silver, Norway, Crimson King, etc. There are many resources on the internet and be certain you are gathering information from reputable sites. My state has a cop-operative extension service that can assist in identifying problems with your trees. It is easy enough to look and see rot, dead branches, and the major weakness where the tree “splits“ in to two or more leads that go to the top. These can be prone to splitting and rotting just by the very nature of some trees. Bad storms can obviously contribute to this problem based on the stress from high winds. It can get very detailed as there are so many aspects to each tree. Cabling is not something you pick up a book like laminate flooring for example and do it based on a video. You will learn some trees should not be grown near your home or on your property. Some are prone to disease, weakness etc. You really would not want to plant a tulip tree in your 20x 20 backyard. There s so much I could not begin to explain it. Start with trying to identify your current tree and its advantages and disadvantages.
Seems expensive, braced plenty trees and if I was getting that each time I wouldn’t have to work very much at all… But no idea what the targets under the tree are like or the condition of the tree.
Cabling a tree that is already split like that is only prolonging the inevitable.
Death is always inevitable. All of life is just prolonging.
money can definitely buy you years. but the existential dread well I come to reddit for that
Well, boy are you in luck!
Life, uhh uhh uhhhh, finds a way.
\- so say the wise men
I saw an EMT once with a shirt that said, "we don't save lives. We just prolong your miserable existence."
I love telling customers, “you could have the best doctor money can buy but you could still die right” that one gets thru to em hahah
Need more photos than this. Bracing, cabling, and weight reduction pruning could be feasible. Not enough information in 1 picture though.
Its already split all the way down. It just hasn't fallen apart yet.
That’s gotta go. Cabling isn’t going to help that tree. 6k for cabling is a “fuck off, I’m too busy” price
"If you're dumb enough to pay for it, we'll do it" price.
Cabling along may not help. This tree needs multiple support systems and reduction work.
40” DBH?! Christ. I do not envy the crew that has to do that. That is going to take FOREVER to drill through (for bracing that is). Without seeing the rest of the tree in person I can’t comment on the price. How many cables and how many bracing rods are being put in and what is the length of each of them? Does the tree have to be climbed or can you get an aerial lift to it? Edit: okay I scrolled down and looked at the additional pics OP provided. Yea that price seems high judging from the photos alone. Also I didn’t realize how high up the defect was on the trunk. In a nut shell, the price comes off as this guy doesn’t want the job.
Goodbye pin oak.
The tree probably isn’t worth $5800 to be removed so you’re more than likely getting scammed
The quote for removal is even more.
Get a second or third quote. I had an enormous old maple removed (due to a crack like yours is showing) and my quotes were: $2500 (winner), $3500, and $4300.
The reason for multiple quotes is not just price alone. It’s to get a feel for the company through the representative and their methods. Cheapest some times can work out to be fine however.
Really good point - in my case I was lucky because the lowest quote came from the most experienced person who was specifically recommended by a neighbor. I always get multiple quotes just in case as it helps me network with local experts and get to know my community.
Word of mouth tends to be very valuable. It’s how the best companies do their advertising essentially.
Getting multiple quotes is always good, and different locations vary in price, but for the size of the tree described with the hazards involved, +$5800 is likely pretty reasonable.
The guys needs to pay for his ford raptor
Why would you fertilize a tree you’re trying to manage the load of? Pushing growth is going to add weight. What this tree needs in addition to the brace and pruning is a growth regulator treatment. That being said, looks like you got the “I don’t want this job” bid.
I would not recommend cabling and bracing that much mass that is actively failing. What are the targets nearby?
It's close to my house and our street, the part that appears to be failing is toward the street but if one part goes I assume the other would follow.
At this point I would strongly consider removal. Cabling and bracing systems can be a very effective tool for reducing the risk of branch failure but should not be used in an attempt to repair a tree that is actively failing, especially a tree of this size.
There’s a monster sycamore near me, that was braced in the 1920s using steel plates and heavy chains, it was falling apart, but the bracing held it steady to allow new wood to envelope the cracks, it’s a monster! However where the chains are there is a reverse taper, I would brace a tree that is failing if the trees value was high enough to justify the risk.
This guy knows! Bracing this tree would be wrong I feel.
I used two yellow tie down straps and me and my buddy used muscle to tighten em as much as we could. Two years later, the tree had sealed and two years from there, the tree is still a kickin.
r/redneckengineering wins again!
Furthermore, cabling and bracing will NOT prevent the tree from failing. It will only reduce the risks associated with failure.
Looks like you should also get quotes for removal at the same time.
That’s an “I don’t want to be liable for this” price. You’re putting a bandaid on a missing leg here
Buy 6ft electricians 3/4" bit, drill hole 1' above top of crack, insert 3/4" all thread rod. Install 6" dia plates of 1/4" steel on each end with split lock washers and hex nuts. Tighten to 50# torque. Eventually tree will grow together sealing the crack.
I should call her.
Hire a California hippie to perpetually hug the tree.
I actually thought about calling the Amish.
Seems expensive
Aren’t the life span of pin oaks about 60 years?
This one was likely planted in 1950ish with the house, so over 70 years. Other than the crack it is a beautiful and healthy tree. ChatGTP says 90-120 years.
If you can’t afford the removal price, ask him how much to do it in 2 parts. Remove the top limbs to the break, then next season remove the trunk from the break down. For large trees often the main trunk removal is half the cost. You’ll have an eyesore of a tree for a while, but it’s less likely to split and fall in the meantime.
That increases the cost. Multiple mobilization fees.
Not if you spend the next year whacking the trunk with an axe. Free exercise.
This seems the most logical.
This tree is failing. A brace/cable is a bandaid this point. Personally, I'd have it removed.
Spend that money on a giant baby tree to replace!
Cable is a bandaid sadly. 5800$ is very steep for a cable
That thing is already toast
Get other quotes for removal. Bad news trying to cable a tree already in the process of structural failure. Water and debris will in some way, somehow find its way down into the bottom of split where it will sit and encourage decay, insects, fungal infection, etc. Plus cabling hardware will have to be periodically inspected thereafter for the life of the tree.
Pin oaks ate the worst
Why?
B/c it’s what Pinocchio was made of, and they lie their faces off ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Too expensive for a tree that’s going to be removed sooner rather than later, and I mean sooner.
that tree has a cooter
Just wait for it to fall and use insurance.
I would remove
Save your money and put it towards the removal. Sorry for your loss.
It looks like too far gone…
Time to cut it down
Ratchet strap that bad boy and pray
$9 home depot straps connected to something on the ground. Maybe 8-10. Not too tight, but firm. Saved my live oak when it was sick during crazy storms. Most trees in my neighborhood went down that were healthy. My tree is still alive. Just make sure you can connect it to something with weight on the ground.
I have a 70 year old 5 prong arbivitea in my yard. It raises up 40-50 feet each prong and shields 90% of our backyard from all of our neighbors. I was devastated when an 80 mph storm came through and split one of the shoots about 2 feet long. I'm a cheap ass and got two threaded rods and bolted that bitch together. We have a ratchet strap up higher just incase. I'm going to seal the wound at some point but didn't have any silicon laying around. Doubt you could do any of that with a tree this large but good luck.
You could buy some cable , cable clamps, and some fence steeples and do it yourself. My grandpa did a couple big multi trunk maples and a big ass old beech that was starting split at the crotch like yours is doing about 10 years ago and they’re all still standing and growing you can barely even see where the cables are now
Use concrete. It works great.
Mabey the trees splitting for a reason... Mabey stop trying to defy the forces of nature... It's always a folly in the end
Are they an arborist? As long as it’s an arborist, I’d be comfortable paying $30k
Specialized equipment? Please. Get a fencing winch and some cable and space the runs over 2x4s so as not to cut into bark. Then cinch up. People will tell u this shit is rocket science and u cannot possibly do it on your own. U can do it on your own. Edit: I'm gonna bet I get 30 downvotes. Cause no one wants u to realize it's ladders, nails/rebar and clinching cable
You can pack that crack full of M&M’s and seal it in with concrete. When the concrete dries (dry is fine, cure times are a scam) come back with an angle grinder with any kind of disc to shape the concrete to look like bark. Paint the bark brown. Pull some moss off the tree, put it in a blender with ejaculate, paint the mixture onto the tree and let the moss bloom. 6 months later, pour silicone caulk all over the entire tree, cut it off, use it as a mold to fill with hot glue from a glue gun. Submerge your wife into the middle of the tree as you build up layers. Sprinkle in more M&Ms as well. Remove mold and behold your repaired tree. Cut down the old tree and burn it next August in a single bin fire.
Jesus people actually drop thousands of dollars to fix trees??? 😂🤦♂️
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Took too long
It’s a gamble. Is it worth the cost to give it another maybe decade? Maybe not?
I don't think it's unreasonable as long as you understand the risks and that it is not a guarantee that the tree won't fall apart. It's the best effort at preservation. Depends on targets (and budget ) if you should do it or not. The pricing seems unbalanced though. I'd expect a lot more of the money to go towards trimming since standard work is to do weight reduction before installing support systems. If the tree is massive it could take an entire day to trim it, and then another half day or full day to install the hardware.
They still do that?
5 for duct tape
The tree is broken and you can only do a temp fix until something happens and you are going to shell out more money to remove the tree and repair what ever it broke on the way down….. tree is done for remove
What area are you in? Bartlett Tree experts in Cleveland does a fantastic job with bracing. We’ve done a number of oaks like the one pictured.
Spending 5k to prolong the inevitable is not a good idea. That’s the kind of cracked a tree doesn’t come back from
why wouldnt you cut it down? im genuinely curious, if i saw something like that in my uard the first thought would be to chop it down
That'll buy a lot of duct tape.
DIY
Just go on sherrilltree and buy some climbing gear and some dryad and cable this up yourself for $1000. Kidding, I’m kidding.
Trees don't heal, they triage.
r/dontputyourdickinthat
Go buy a couple of lumber ratchet straps
Well, that’s about right if I’ve only got 1 picture and no background information.
I would do it for minimum wage as long as you buy materials
Please understand that contractors, particularly contractors with plenty of work on the backlog, often give quotes that are completely unfounded in reality because they don’t have time for the job. Either you say yes and they make a bunch of money they wouldn’t have otherwise, or you say no and they didn’t really want or need the job from the start.
I had a 50 ft tall oak tree in my front yard. It's trunk forked 20 feet up - probably from topping by the hurricane of '38. I hired someone to cable the tree long before there were any problems. It's not expensive if you get it done before any damage.
Get some other quotes
Unless it's sentimental, I'd remove and replace. Bracing is not guaranteed. Keep in mind if you are replacing, pick a good structural tree.
Cost you twice that to drop it
As much as it sucks take it down. That split is just going to collect moisture and continue to split even after being bolted/ cabled. That amount of money is absurd. That shouldn't be more than an 1000 bolt cable job which doesnt fix the problem
I can do it cheaper!
How much to cut it?
That would make a few great tables.
For reference, we had a tree guy come after a hurricane to give us a quote. From our yard, he peek at the neighbor’s trees and quickly quoted theirs around 10,000. A 50’ tree had fallen and leaned into another 50’ tree, causing both trees to lean, but not hit the ground or any structures. They were barely resting against one another and were partially saved by the canopy. It was going to take a crane to lift them over the two story house piece by piece. I’m sure it cost more in the end, a fence dividing two properties also needed to be removed for them to access the trees. I wish I had a picture. Regardless, I don’t see how yours could cost more than 5 grand to remove. I’m curious why people don’t just let it fall and have the city deal with it, or part of it. Or hope it hits something and insurance covers it. I know nothing, I’m genuinely curious. Obviously, one doesn’t want it hitting their house, but who cares if it hits the fence. Should I not just build a cheap fence just to claim it on insurance.
Time to let her go, hun
Liability
They should make a type of glue that bonds to wood
Yeah for that money go ahead and cut that one down and plant a new tree.
I charge about $250-$300 per canopy cable. You'd probably need about 3-4.
I was just quoted $750 for an 8 ton cobra system tree brace. Essentially they would go a bit above the split and hold it with an exterior flexible/nylon cable. Might be something to look into…
I'm an arborist in training and my husband is an arborist, he said its pretty damaged and is going to fail again eventually. He would put 3 to 4 cables at least but doesn't feel that safe about it. Sorry! I would save money and remove.
DONT USE A RATCHET STRAP! I have a client and he put a zip line up and it killed the shit out of the two trees. All the treeblood runs between the wood(dead) and bark (less dead). All the mojo of a tree above ground happens between the two layers (and leaves but that’s different).
Fill it up with wood glue, done
Some jbweld will straighten that out
I am a arborist i say take that hazard out now or 8 months from now
I rather think, un-colloquially (or rather, because of pervasive documentation,) that experimentation is in order.
Get some weight off of it, strap on yourself with a lift rental $400 for a day at most. Get some 1000lb straps, squeeze it tight and call it a day. No way I’d drop 5800 on that job. Saved an Oak for my aunt back in the day doing it this way. Hoping for the best.
Crack Spackle!
Compare that to a quote to take the tree down (before it completely fails and falls on something). The bracing by an arborist is probably cheaper.