Help with Oak tree

[Cairo94507]

We have many Oaks on our property and some had some dead or damaged branches we had to prune off. The former property owner did nothing to the trees for 25 years and the only pruning they got was from the wind. The result on one branch we pruned off is large hole down that particular branch that goes to the base of the tree. So it is about 3' deep and hollow. The rest of the tree looks healthy. I do not want to leave this hollow branch which runs almost vertically from the base of the tree open and let it fill with water when it rains. Can I just get some aluminum sheet from Home Depot and cut it out close to the size of the branch and fold the ends over so rain doesn't enter the branch? Can I use any type of nails to secure it to the branch? Should I use some type of caulk or adhesive to seal the aluminum? We love our trees and want to be great custodians of the property.
Thanks guys,
Michael

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Are you describing my property? Lol

Covering it somehow would help. Maybe fold it over and seal it up with a good adhesive. Maybe you can get spray foam in there to span the hole before covering. I wouldn't nail or screw into the wood though.

 

[CombatNinja]

You're seriously going to patch a tree with sheet metal or caulk? Just cut it down.

 

[4xdog]

This tree (a maple, IIRC, although most were oaks) was on the extensive grounds of my high school growing up. I played on this knoll and in the adjacent woods all my life, and the effort this took to save the tree long before I got there has always stayed with me.

This photo from the early 1970s. The tree is long gone now, but this bracing kept it going for decades. Some trees are worth the effort.

 

[racecougar]

Yes, you can cap it with flashing to keep it from filling with rain water. It can be worthwhile to drill a hole at the bottom of the cavity to allow water to escape as well.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Some trees are worth the effort.

That's true. Thats a cool picture. And trees don't grow overnight. Unless it is a fall hazard, I'd keep a tree standing if it can stand the maintenance.
I've taken down 10 trees in 7mths. Slated another 10 dead standing to come down this winter. It's tough to think about how long it'll take to get replacements grown. I bought a treed property on purpose, I don't want it cleared.

 

[yatg]

Get some window screen and duct tape.
Form the screen over the opening.
Wrap duct tape around the branch to secure the screen.
Apply a liberal coating of Flex Seal.


How about a duct cap. You didn't specify the diameter, but you can get a Fernco cap upto 8" at Amazon. Cut the end straight across so you'll have a good fit.

 

[Viper98912]

Sorry, but trying to flash and caulk a tree sounds silly. And it would look silly too. You're better off cutting down the tree altogether.

 

[nadogail]

Back when I was in 5th grade, maybe 1949, I recall there being a tree in the school yard that had a concrete filled hole.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Some trees are certainly worth saving. Since you have many oaks on the property it might be best to just let this one go. It's going to eventually suffer insect damage. It's going to suffer rot. Caulk and flashing is aesthetically unappealing. Take it down and use the wood to heat your home. Or turn it into furniture or dimensional lumber. The surrounding trees will grow more vigorously and do better with that tree gone.

 

[619DioFan]

Use a hole saw to cut a plug out of a 2x6 ( or what ever might match the hole size ) and then seal with Henry's roof patch
Will probably out last you.

 

[Viper98912]

Some trees are certainly worth saving. Since you have many oaks on the property it might be best to just let this one go. It's going to eventually suffer insect damage. It's going to suffer rot. Caulk and flashing is aesthetically unappealing. Take it down and use the wood to heat your home. Or turn it into furniture or dimensional lumber. The surrounding trees will grow more vigorously and do better with that tree gone.

Or slice it into table thickness, and with the hole there, fill it with resin and add some colored flakes and make a really sweet looking table.

 

[engineer2]

Spray some carpenter ant killer in there too. I don't know about your area, but around here carpenter ants eventually hollow out the center of oak trees and slowly kill them.

 

[ATC]

You're seriously going to patch a tree with sheet metal or caulk? Just cut it down.

Can't see the forest through all those damn trees huh?

I guess if my kid breaks a finger playing, I'll just take him out back and shoot him...

 

[jabberwoki]

Just leave it alone.
Nothing you can do will help.

 

[CombatNinja]

Can't see the forest through all those damn trees huh?

I guess if my kid breaks a finger playing, I'll just take him out back and shoot him...

Yeah, those situations are analogous.

 

[Zeke]

Just leave it alone.
Nothing you can do will help.

Not altogether true. Fillers have been used but I don't recommend concrete. The main thing is to protect the inside structure of the tree. It's dead — it has served its purpose. If not protected it will rot.

I had a hole in a magnolia tree and I simply washed it out and sometimes treated it with something to keep the bugs from getting a hold in there. Over about 3 years the tree wrapped its own bark over the hole. When you see that round, bulging edge to the bark around a hole, the tree is advancing the bark. May not be true for all trees.

 

[RivennHewn]

They make specific products just for such problems.

Google tree sealer or pruning sealer

 

[qdvuu]

Why not attach the cover with some sort of anchors and screws rather than adhesive? This way (as Zeke notes) the tree may close the hole on its own if you let it breathe. I was thinking of something analogous to a large toggle anchor, i.e. a beam of wood inside the hole, the cover on the outside plus a screw of some sort to connect. For a long hole, have a long cover with the anchor fasteners every so often as needed.

Since there are so many naysayers about the aesthetics of putting a cover on a tree, here are some options: sheet metal, wood, fiberglass, carbon fiber, custom 3D printed cover made per a laser scan with the outside mimicking the tree bark, etc. Auburn's full of arty tree huggers, so give them a chance to shine.

 

[My Old Tools]

That's true. Thats a cool picture. And trees don't grow overnight. Unless it is a fall hazard, I'd keep a tree standing if it can stand the maintenance.
I've taken down 10 trees in 7mths. Slated another 10 dead standing to come down this winter. It's tough to think about how long it'll take to get replacements grown. I bought a treed property on purpose, I don't want it cleared.

Texas is losing oaks all over the state. The drought years back stressed them badly and now its catching up with them. https://agrilifelearn.tamu.edu/s/product/hypoxylon-canker-of-oaks/01t4x000004OfsB

 

[Uncle murph]

We have many Oaks on our property and some had some dead or damaged branches we had to prune off. The former property owner did nothing to the trees for 25 years and the only pruning they got was from the wind. The result on one branch we pruned off is large hole down that particular branch that goes to the base of the tree. So it is about 3' deep and hollow. The rest of the tree looks healthy. I do not want to leave this hollow branch which runs almost vertically from the base of the tree open and let it fill with water when it rains. Can I just get some aluminum sheet from Home Depot and cut it out close to the size of the branch and fold the ends over so rain doesn't enter the branch? Can I use any type of nails to secure it to the branch? Should I use some type of caulk or adhesive to seal the aluminum? We love our trees and want to be great custodians of the property.
Thanks guys,
Michael

The damage is already done,what isn’t actually rotted is certainly compromised.Closing up the hole now isn’t going to do much and very possibly make it worse. I would enjoy the tree as is unless it’s posing a danger to something else in which case I would take it down.

 

[matt_i]

Use a hole saw to cut a plug out of a 2x6 ( or what ever might match the hole size ) and then seal with Henry's roof patch
Will probably out last you.

I like this but it does seem interesting to cut a piece of pine to fix an oak. High end solution would be a laminated block of well...oak !! Except red oak will not play well outside. White oak or bust. Jigsaw, belt sand or turn to size on a wood lathe. If you did the latter you could probably make it so it would tap in place with a little flange/shoulder on the end so it didn't get lost or in case of shrinkage, etc. Using machine tools to fix trees lol. But they did it above with the threaded rods and bent flat bar saddles.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Texas is losing oaks all over the state. The drought years back stressed them badly and now its catching up with them. https://agrilifelearn.tamu.edu/s/product/hypoxylon-canker-of-oaks/01t4x000004OfsB

Yup I'm seeing it on our place. Right now some are heat stressed and brown to various degrees, some are green. This recent rain is nice and our place is responding but, the damage is done. I hope the trees come back before winter. Previously, the trees took a lot of damage from the Snovid freeze. We're still catching up with the pruning of the dead stuff. And what didn't die got weighted down and curved with the weight of the ice.

Overall, they're getting back to shape, keeping the land healthy is the goal.

 

[Cairo94507]

I think I will spray the inside of the cavity with carpenter ant killer to be safe. Then just cut a flat piece of aluminum and bend it over the edges to cap the hole after spraying the aluminum satin black. It is a big, pretty tree. So if I can keep it alive and well for another decade, great.

 

[gahrajmahal]

Do you have any threads on your 914?

 

[brownbagg]

that be a termite tree, just start planning on firewood

 

[Jackfre]

I’m in the same boat up here in Nevada City. When I bought the property I didn’t buy the house, I bought the treesSurrounding the house are a 4’ Sequoia 50’ away, a 3’ Ponderosa 30’ away, a 3’ English Walnut 20’ away a 4.5’ Black Walnut 15’ away and its twin on the other side 30’ away. As a result I have a pro arborist come in every few years for safety checks, trimming and general consultation. Perhaps the best you can do is find a good arborist, we use Acton Arborists here but I don’t know if he goes to Auburn, to assess and help you make a plan for the many trees.

 

[jabberwoki]

Fillers make the situation far worse , i talked with Alex Shigo about this very thing years ago.