Any advice is appreciated... I live in South-East Texas.

I have a water oak, about 12 feet tall, with a trunk circumference of about 12
inches. It's growth is being hampered by a sweetgum tree growing next to it
that is about 30 feet tall, with a couple of dead branches. My desire is to
remove the sweetgum and allow the oak to grow.

The oak appears to be very healthy this spring, with vigorous growth and bright
green leaves. My concern is that about 5 feet above the ground, where it
begins to branch out, it was inadvertently shot by a neighbor with a small
caliber, high power rifle (.223). This occured about 6 months ago, just before
fall. The wound looks nasty, going through the center of the trunk. When I
pulled on the water oak, I heard the faint sound of wood cracking. The tree
still seems very healthy otherwise, however, and my question is whether or not
I can expect the wound to heal. I definitely want to keep this tree, is there
anything I can do to facilitate the healing?

Is it possible for this to heal and for it to be a healthy tree? Thanks in
advance for responses.

Thanks,
Brad Greig

You really won't know unless you try to save it. I believe it's
likely to live. When we built our home, the excavating contractor
caught the teeth of his loader in the roots of the only tree on the
property and split the trunk up the center. This was in late August
or early September. All the leaves fell off and it looked dead. An
old farmer advised that I patch the gap with roofing cement and wait
till Spring. Sixteen years later and the tree has suffered no ill
effects from what I can tell.

RWL




On 24 Mar 2004 01:30:05 GMT, (Bradleygreig)
wrote:

Any advice is appreciated... I live in South-East Texas.

I have a water oak, about 12 feet tall, with a trunk circumference of about 12
inches. It's growth is being hampered by a sweetgum tree growing next to it
that is about 30 feet tall, with a couple of dead branches. My desire is to
remove the sweetgum and allow the oak to grow.

The oak appears to be very healthy this spring, with vigorous growth and bright
green leaves. My concern is that about 5 feet above the ground, where it
begins to branch out, it was inadvertently shot by a neighbor with a small
caliber, high power rifle (.223). This occured about 6 months ago, just before
fall. The wound looks nasty, going through the center of the trunk. When I
pulled on the water oak, I heard the faint sound of wood cracking. The tree
still seems very healthy otherwise, however, and my question is whether or not
I can expect the wound to heal. I definitely want to keep this tree, is there
anything I can do to facilitate the healing?

Is it possible for this to heal and for it to be a healthy tree? Thanks in
advance for responses.

Thanks,
Brad Greig

******* Remove NOSPAM to reply *******

Bradleygreig wrote:

Any advice is appreciated... I live in South-East Texas.

I have a water oak, about 12 feet tall, with a trunk circumference of about 12
inches. It's growth is being hampered by a sweetgum tree growing next to it
that is about 30 feet tall, with a couple of dead branches. My desire is to
remove the sweetgum and allow the oak to grow.

The oak appears to be very healthy this spring, with vigorous growth and bright
green leaves. My concern is that about 5 feet above the ground, where it
begins to branch out, it was inadvertently shot by a neighbor with a small
caliber, high power rifle (.223). This occured about 6 months ago, just before
fall. The wound looks nasty, going through the center of the trunk. When I
pulled on the water oak, I heard the faint sound of wood cracking. The tree
still seems very healthy otherwise, however, and my question is whether or not
I can expect the wound to heal. I definitely want to keep this tree, is there
anything I can do to facilitate the healing?

Is it possible for this to heal and for it to be a healthy tree? Thanks in
advance for responses.

Thanks,
Brad Greig


I think it will heal and be OK; especially if it looks healthy now. Just
watch out for insects getting in there.

The bigger question is why was this neighbor shooting a rifle towards your
property? ==(8-O If you absolutely *have* to shoot towards someone elses
place, you use a shotgun loaded with birdshot.

Bob

You really won't know unless you try to save it. I believe it's
likely to live. When we built our home, the excavating contractor
caught the teeth of his loader in the roots of the only tree on the
property and split the trunk up the center. This was in late August
or early September. All the leaves fell off and it looked dead. An
old farmer advised that I patch the gap with roofing cement and wait
till Spring. Sixteen years later and the tree has suffered no ill
effects from what I can tell.

RWL




On 24 Mar 2004 01:30:05 GMT, (Bradleygreig)
wrote:

Any advice is appreciated... I live in South-East Texas.

I have a water oak, about 12 feet tall, with a trunk circumference of about 12
inches. It's growth is being hampered by a sweetgum tree growing next to it
that is about 30 feet tall, with a couple of dead branches. My desire is to
remove the sweetgum and allow the oak to grow.

The oak appears to be very healthy this spring, with vigorous growth and bright
green leaves. My concern is that about 5 feet above the ground, where it
begins to branch out, it was inadvertently shot by a neighbor with a small
caliber, high power rifle (.223). This occured about 6 months ago, just before
fall. The wound looks nasty, going through the center of the trunk. When I
pulled on the water oak, I heard the faint sound of wood cracking. The tree
still seems very healthy otherwise, however, and my question is whether or not
I can expect the wound to heal. I definitely want to keep this tree, is there
anything I can do to facilitate the healing?

Is it possible for this to heal and for it to be a healthy tree? Thanks in
advance for responses.

Thanks,
Brad Greig

******* Remove NOSPAM to reply *******

Bradleygreig wrote:

Any advice is appreciated... I live in South-East Texas.

I have a water oak, about 12 feet tall, with a trunk circumference of about 12
inches. It's growth is being hampered by a sweetgum tree growing next to it
that is about 30 feet tall, with a couple of dead branches. My desire is to
remove the sweetgum and allow the oak to grow.

The oak appears to be very healthy this spring, with vigorous growth and bright
green leaves. My concern is that about 5 feet above the ground, where it
begins to branch out, it was inadvertently shot by a neighbor with a small
caliber, high power rifle (.223). This occured about 6 months ago, just before
fall. The wound looks nasty, going through the center of the trunk. When I
pulled on the water oak, I heard the faint sound of wood cracking. The tree
still seems very healthy otherwise, however, and my question is whether or not
I can expect the wound to heal. I definitely want to keep this tree, is there
anything I can do to facilitate the healing?

Is it possible for this to heal and for it to be a healthy tree? Thanks in
advance for responses.

Thanks,
Brad Greig


I think it will heal and be OK; especially if it looks healthy now. Just
watch out for insects getting in there.

The bigger question is why was this neighbor shooting a rifle towards your
property? ==(8-O If you absolutely *have* to shoot towards someone elses
place, you use a shotgun loaded with birdshot.

Bob

The living part of the trunk is the outer layer called the cambium. (The
center of the tree is not really alive as we think of the centers of our
bodies as being alive because they are so crucial to our existence - the
center of the trunk doesn't perform any essential function to the tree,
other than hold the leaves up). The cambium can survive injury, but not if
it is injured all the way around the tree - it is the highway that water and
nutrients travel between the leaves and the roots. That is why when people
want to kill trees, they "girdle" them. They tear a layer of the cambium off
all the way around the tree - an impassible road block, the tree dies. I
doubt that your bullet wound girdled the entire cambium of the tree,
therefore I'd expect it to live a long healthy life, unless some disease
organism like a fungus decides to make a home in the hollow.
"Bradleygreig" wrote in message
...
Any advice is appreciated... I live in South-East Texas.

I have a water oak, about 12 feet tall, with a trunk circumference of
about 12
inches. It's growth is being hampered by a sweetgum tree growing next to
it
that is about 30 feet tall, with a couple of dead branches. My desire is
to
remove the sweetgum and allow the oak to grow.

The oak appears to be very healthy this spring, with vigorous growth and
bright
green leaves. My concern is that about 5 feet above the ground, where it
begins to branch out, it was inadvertently shot by a neighbor with a small
caliber, high power rifle (.223). This occured about 6 months ago, just
before
fall. The wound looks nasty, going through the center of the trunk. When
I
pulled on the water oak, I heard the faint sound of wood cracking. The
tree
still seems very healthy otherwise, however, and my question is whether or
not
I can expect the wound to heal. I definitely want to keep this tree, is
there
anything I can do to facilitate the healing?

Is it possible for this to heal and for it to be a healthy tree? Thanks
in
advance for responses.

Thanks,
Brad Greig

The living part of the trunk is the outer layer called the cambium. (The
center of the tree is not really alive as we think of the centers of our
bodies as being alive because they are so crucial to our existence - the
center of the trunk doesn't perform any essential function to the tree,
other than hold the leaves up). The cambium can survive injury, but not if
it is injured all the way around the tree - it is the highway that water and
nutrients travel between the leaves and the roots. That is why when people
want to kill trees, they "girdle" them. They tear a layer of the cambium off
all the way around the tree - an impassible road block, the tree dies. I
doubt that your bullet wound girdled the entire cambium of the tree,
therefore I'd expect it to live a long healthy life, unless some disease
organism like a fungus decides to make a home in the hollow.
"Bradleygreig" wrote in message
...
Any advice is appreciated... I live in South-East Texas.

I have a water oak, about 12 feet tall, with a trunk circumference of
about 12
inches. It's growth is being hampered by a sweetgum tree growing next to
it
that is about 30 feet tall, with a couple of dead branches. My desire is
to
remove the sweetgum and allow the oak to grow.

The oak appears to be very healthy this spring, with vigorous growth and
bright
green leaves. My concern is that about 5 feet above the ground, where it
begins to branch out, it was inadvertently shot by a neighbor with a small
caliber, high power rifle (.223). This occured about 6 months ago, just
before
fall. The wound looks nasty, going through the center of the trunk. When
I
pulled on the water oak, I heard the faint sound of wood cracking. The
tree
still seems very healthy otherwise, however, and my question is whether or
not
I can expect the wound to heal. I definitely want to keep this tree, is
there
anything I can do to facilitate the healing?

Is it possible for this to heal and for it to be a healthy tree? Thanks
in
advance for responses.

Thanks,
Brad Greig

Thirty five years ago, a Maple on our front lawn developed a
vertical crack at the center of the 12" trunk below the "Y" branching.
Strong winds and a weak "Y" branching were the cause. We could
hear the creaking sound of the wood when the winds picked up.

Actually on the city's property, their arborists examined the tree and
decided to mend it rather than take it down. They bored a hole clean
through the trunk across the crack. Then they inserted a heavy
threaded rod, and cinched the crack together with nuts. Initially the
tree had a Frankenstein look but some years later you couldn't see
where the bark covered the hardware. To this day that Maple
remains healthy.

Good luck with your water oak, and better luck with your neighbor.


"Bradleygreig" wrote in message
...
Any advice is appreciated... I live in South-East Texas.

I have a water oak, about 12 feet tall, with a trunk circumference
of about 12
inches. It's growth is being hampered by a sweetgum tree growing
next to it
that is about 30 feet tall, with a couple of dead branches. My
desire is to
remove the sweetgum and allow the oak to grow.

The oak appears to be very healthy this spring, with vigorous growth
and bright
green leaves. My concern is that about 5 feet above the ground,
where it
begins to branch out, it was inadvertently shot by a neighbor with a
small
caliber, high power rifle (.223). This occured about 6 months ago,
just before
fall. The wound looks nasty, going through the center of the trunk.
When I
pulled on the water oak, I heard the faint sound of wood cracking.
The tree
still seems very healthy otherwise, however, and my question is
whether or not
I can expect the wound to heal. I definitely want to keep this
tree, is there
anything I can do to facilitate the healing?

Is it possible for this to heal and for it to be a healthy tree?
Thanks in
advance for responses.

Thanks,
Brad Greig

"gregpresley" wrote:

The living part of the trunk is the outer layer called the cambium. (The
center of the tree is not really alive as we think of the centers of our
bodies as being alive because they are so crucial to our existence - the
center of the trunk doesn't perform any essential function to the tree,
other than hold the leaves up). The cambium can survive injury, but not if
it is injured all the way around the tree - it is the highway that water and
nutrients travel between the leaves and the roots. That is why when people
want to kill trees, they "girdle" them. They tear a layer of the cambium off
all the way around the tree - an impassible road block, the tree dies. I
doubt that your bullet wound girdled the entire cambium of the tree,
therefore I'd expect it to live a long healthy life, unless some disease
organism like a fungus decides to make a home in the hollow.

The above is correct in intent but is misleading in detail.

The tissue on the outer edge of the heartwood is the xylem or sapwood.
The xylem is supportive tissue that forms the vascular paths that carry
water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves. Older xylem becomes
the heartwood. If the xylem is damaged, the branches on that side of
the tree will loose their leaves since they have no way of getting water.

The green layer under the bark but just outside the xylem is the
cambium. The cambium really does nothing to help the tree now, but is
the most important area since it is the growth plate that forms the new
xylem on the inside, new phloem on the outside of it and new cambium to
match the growth of the tree. It is similar to the growth plate of a
bone. It is the only area of a tree that grows besides the buds that
form new roots, new branches, new leaves and new flowers. When the
cambium dies (no longer green), the tree is considered dead. If the
cambium is destroyed all the way around the tree, the tree will function
for a while, sometimes several years but eventually die.

The phloem or inner bark outside the cambium is the vascular tissue that
returns nutrients to the roots to be stored for next years leaves. If
the phloem outside the cambium is destroyed all the way around the tree,
the tree will function for a while, sometimes several years but may
eventually die if the cambium is not protected.

Outside the phloem or inner bark is the regular bark that is composed of
old phloem. It serves to protect the tree.

The bottom line is that the general health of a tree that has sustained
a wound depends on:

1) at the point of impact is enough xylem left to support the leaves. If
yes, then the tree will survive at least a year or two unless it gets
infected.

2) at the point of impact is enough phloem left to support the roots
with nutrients. If yes, than the tree will survive at least several
years unless it gets infected.

3) at the point of impact is enough cambium left to form new xylem and
phloem. If yes, then the tree will live if protected from infection.

The trend to prevent infection is to clean the wound and make sure it
won't trap moisture. Bandaging a tree is used sometimes, but not
always. When bandaging a tree, grafting wax works well.

As an anecdote, I have girdled black walnut trees that were killing my
rhododendrons. I removed the bark, phloem and cambium and the outer
part of the xylem all the way around for over a width of 3 inches. The
trees looked perfectly normal for 3 year. Then the 4th year the leaves
started to come out and then they depleted the roots of nutrients and
died. I was shocked that a girdled tree would last so long. These
trees were about 7 to 14 inches in diameter. I girdled the trees in
order to kill the roots. If you just cut a black walnut tree down, it
will send up suckers for many years, what seems like an eternity.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhody.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhodybooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

Saw mills frequently come across lead shot in timber. Driven steel nails do
a lot of damage to the saw!!. When hunting, the majority of bullets seem to
end up in trees to no ill effect.
The injury will soon be recovered by the cambium and in a season or two
any scar will probably be gone.
Meanwhile a simple plugging with clay might be the best to avoid
infection~~ which is realistically unlikely.
Many years ago, during deep snow and hard frost, rabbits completely ring
barked every young tree in our orchard at about three feet above ground. The
gap in the bark was about nine inches. Nearly every tree survived after bark
grafts between the gaps. After five years little evidence remained.
Best Wishes
"Bradleygreig" wrote in message
...
Any advice is appreciated... I live in South-East Texas.

I have a water oak, about 12 feet tall, with a trunk circumference of
about 12
inches. It's growth is being hampered by a sweetgum tree growing next to
it
that is about 30 feet tall, with a couple of dead branches. My desire is
to
remove the sweetgum and allow the oak to grow.

The oak appears to be very healthy this spring, with vigorous growth and
bright
green leaves. My concern is that about 5 feet above the ground, where it
begins to branch out, it was inadvertently shot by a neighbor with a small
caliber, high power rifle (.223). This occured about 6 months ago, just
before
fall. The wound looks nasty, going through the center of the trunk. When
I
pulled on the water oak, I heard the faint sound of wood cracking. The
tree
still seems very healthy otherwise, however, and my question is whether or
not
I can expect the wound to heal. I definitely want to keep this tree, is
there
anything I can do to facilitate the healing?

Is it possible for this to heal and for it to be a healthy tree? Thanks
in
advance for responses.

Thanks,
Brad Greig

Bradleygreig wrote:

it was inadvertently shot by a neighbor with a small
caliber, high power rifle

I have been waiting for the rest of the story. Did he hit the tree, because
you jumped behind it?


Dave
http://members.tripod.com/~VideoDave

Thanks to everyone for the advice and information. In response to the concern
that the neighbors were shooting toward us, I'll elaborate.

I have a 3 acre lot in a rural, new subdivision. This tree was shot before the
house was complete, so it hopefully won't happen again. Although gunfire is
not all that unusual out in the country in Texas...

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

(DavesVideo) wrote in
:

Bradleygreig wrote:

it was inadvertently shot by a neighbor with a small caliber, high
power rifle

I have been waiting for the rest of the story. Did he hit the tree,
because
you jumped behind it?


Dave
http://members.tripod.com/~VideoDave


There's "fight fire with fire", then there's "fight fire with water" and
finally there's "fight fire with - oh #$%% hide behind the water oak!".