On 8 Jul 2005 10:02:25 -0700, "Scott" wrote:

I just bought a house and among the great trees there is a large pecan
tree with one large dead branch. I have posted a pictu
http://scottmartin.net/temp/2005.07.08-10:52:34.jpg

The limb on the left is completely dead. There are no live branches
coming from it, and fungus is growing on it. It has to come down,
because if it falls, it might take out the fence and my neighbor's
storage shed. My question is, is this tree salvagable without that
limb? It seems to me that without that branch, most of the weight
(two other live branches) will be on the right side of the tree. Will
that be a problem? Will the tree immediately fall over in the other
direction?

If I should cut off the dead branch, where should I cut it? It appears
to be dead all the way to the main trunk, but I can't really be sure
where the line is. Of course, if its length is just cut in half, the
hazard disappears.

Thanks in advance to anyone who has any ideas. This is my first house
and my first gardening endeavour, so I will probably be in here a lot.

This tree has been severely topped in the past, leading to overall
diminished health and eventually the loss of the leader. The back
stem looks to be almost as far gone, and the healthiest branch is
still truncated and problematic.

In addition, it appears the trunk flares have been buried under fill
or perhaps just too much mulch.

Can the tree survive? Maybe, though not much of it looks viable.
Certainly the loss of the dead portions would not cause the live parts
to decline or fall over. Your best bet would be to remove the dead
parts, excavate the root crown, and make sure the remaining root zone
is well mulched (and irrigated, if you've been getting as little rain
as we have). And cross your fingers, if you're the superstitious
type.

But I'd recommend getting a replacement tree in the ground at the
earliest opportunity. When that is depends on where you are; in
Texas, we are best off planting in Fall, but more northern areas would
do well to wait till Spring (but might be able to nurse a transplant
along if it was planted now). Then, as the new tree develops, you can
go ahead and finish the pecan removal, which looks somewhat inevitable
to me. Or, as suggested, keep as much as is safe for wildlife
habitat.

For a lesson in identifying hazardous trees and/or why topping is bad
(among many other topics), please visit www.treesaregood.com

good luck,
Keith Babberney
ISA Certified Arborist #TX-236