busbus wrote:
Hello,

I don’t even know if you can do what I want to do. I have a birch tree
that is dying. I knew they were short-lived trees whenever I planted
it over 20 years ago. It is on my hillside and I have chicken wire on
the hill helping hold the mulch on it since it is pretty steep, so I
have a mess on my hands.

The tree is about 20-feet tall now. It is a clump birch with three
trunks. Each trunk is about the size of, say, a softball or smaller.

I believe I can cut it down and get a fair amount of roots out. If I
wait a few years, can I plant in exactly the same spot? Or would I be
forced to move 6-8 feet away? If it is the latter, I simply cannot do
it. Could I plant anything in the same hole? A tall bush or something,
at least? The tree helped shade my deck plus I sort of “need” the
height, if you know what I mean…

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
ray
Ray,

Do you know why it is dying? Birch trees can live beyond 20 years.

If it is a birch borer, there are ways to treat that.

It's a shame to cut down a mature tree and I like clump birches,
especially the river variety.

If the tree is really dying of old age, there should be no concern
about planting something else. To be on the safe side, I would remove
a good deal of soil from around the removed tree and replace it.

Sherwin