Hickory Tree

[TonyF]

I realize hickory is strong wood, but what about the tree itself? We would like to save one hickory, which in truth is probably one of the nicest trees on our property. But in order to save it the house has to be positioned even or just under the drip line. Wind? Hickory nuts?

The sweet gums next to it are coming down.

Thanks!

 

[Brad_Blazer]

In a good year it will produce nuts/hulls by the bushel. That's not to say I don't like Hickory trees.

 

[jimmyj]

I love hickory trees and the nuts too. The trees have a deep tap root and are very slow growing. If you leave it and it ends up dying from the stress of construction, it looks pretty easy to cut down. I am like you and I'd try and leave it if I could.

 

[smstonypoint]

I love hickory trees and the nuts too. The trees have a deep tap root and are very slow growing. If you leave it and it ends up dying from the stress of construction, it looks pretty easy to cut down. I am like you and I'd try and leave it if I could.

I agree about the tap root, but i have my doubts about it surviving construction if the house is going to be that close to the drip line. I like hickory trees too; but leaves/nuts in the gutter, limbs falling on the roof, the trouble of taking it down after construction, etc. would sway me toward taking it down before construction.

Steve

 

[jimmyj]

Steve is probably right but I just hate losing old slow-growing trees.

It's a tough call. Will the excavator have to travel below the drip line of the tree? How far from the trunk will the house be in feet? Will the grade be changed?

All these thinks are death for mature trees most of the time.

 

[JakeBrake]

Steve is probably right but I just hate losing old slow-growing trees.

It's a tough call. Will the excavator have to travel below the drip line of the tree? How far from the trunk will the house be in feet? Will the grade be changed?

All these thinks are death for mature trees most of the time.

Hickory trees may be slow growing in Canada, but in the deep south, they grow like weeds and, in fact, are considered to be weed trees.

I would whack that tree and not look back. If you want a hickory tree, you can plant another one in a safe location. It will be just as large in a few years, especially if you allow only one trunk to grow.

 

[Jstpssng]

Hickory trees may be slow growing in Canada, but in the deep south, they grow like weeds and, in fact, are considered to be weed trees.

I would whack that tree and not look back. If you want a hickory tree, you can plant another one in a safe location. It will be just as large in a few years, especially if you allow only one trunk to grow.

Good advice. Trees grow, hardwoods drop their leaves every fall; and whether your roof is asphalt or steel, there's nothing worse for it than having acidic hardwood leaves laying on top of it.

 

[whistlepig]

In Ohio Shagbark hickories are also called Indiana bat trees. Indiana bats are an endangered species. There is a bill pending in Ohio that would make it illegal to cut down a Shagbark hickory on your property. Nothing can be done with and/ or around a Shagbark hickory. If you want to build a pole barn and there is Shagbark hickory where you want to build that's just tough luck. Needless to say every one in Ohio are sawing down the Shagbark hickory trees as fast as they can before this bill passes. Our government at work.

 

[TonyF]

Thanks everyone. Not sure what I'm going to do yet. The area has been cleared and rough graded with the exception of some fine tuning around the edges - so most of the heavy work is done.

The house will be located about 20-25 feet from the trunk. my wife is pretty adamant about saving it. We've rearranged our plans by shifting the house to accommodate it.

 

[smstonypoint]

In Ohio Shagbark hickories are also called Indiana bat trees. Indiana bats are an endangered species. There is a bill pending in Ohio that would make it illegal to cut down a Shagbark hickory on your property. Nothing can be done with and/ or around a Shagbark hickory. If you want to build a pole barn and there is Shagbark hickory where you want to build that's just tough luck. Needless to say every one in Ohio are sawing down the Shagbark hickory trees as fast as they can before this bill passes. Our government at work.

Similar issues concerning property rights and endangered species cropped up in the case of red-cockaded woodpeckers here in the Southeast. If memory serves, landowners were harvesting southern pines (especially long-leaf) early in anticipation of regulatory actions.

Steve

 

[whistlepig]

Thanks everyone. Not sure what I'm going to do yet. The area has been cleared and rough graded with the exception of some fine tuning around the edges - so most of the heavy work is done.

The house will be located about 20-25 feet from the trunk. my wife is pretty adamant about saving it. We've rearranged our plans by shifting the house to accommodate it.

I have done the close to the house tree thingy. The shade is nice and helps somewhat deflecting the wind. But limbs through the roof and windows and cleaning the gutters out has made me appreciate were we live now. There are no trees close to our house now. I can take a lawn chair, walk a bit, and find some shade. Much easier.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Trees near one's home/buildings can make of a lot of work. When you are 40 you can handle it OK. When you are 80 the work can be a bit much (just the leaves even) and they are MUCH closer to the house by then too. :smiley_aafz:

 

[whistlepig]

Trees are nice if they are in a place you can enjoy them. Trees right next to the house are not enjoyable.

 

[jimmyj]

I did not think about the varied growth rate. Based on all the comments, firewood!

 

[ace10]

Trees close to the house? Plant them after you've finished building and have lived there for a bit. Do your research and install exactly what you want, where you want it.

I don't see anything particularly remarkable about that cluster, so take it down and let the work proceed without hindrance.

If you want to make the wifey happy, retain the logs and tell her that you'll make (or have someone make) something for the house out of it.

 

[dmccarty]

...

The house will be located about 20-25 feet from the trunk. my wife is pretty adamant about saving it. We've rearranged our plans by shifting the house to accommodate it.

Cut the tree down NOW.

I just had to take down two dead trees that the septic field killed. One was about 28 inches on the stump and I think was a hickory. It died last year and a windstorm a few months back broke it in half about 20 feet up the trunk. We have other trees that impacted by our driveway. Some of them are doing ok. They others I am not so sure about.

20-25 feet is too close to the house. We have trees we saved that are 50-60 feet from the house. We should have cut them down when we built the house. Even the wife now agrees that we should cut down the trees. It would have been so much easier and cheaper if the trees had been brought down when we built the house.

How much is the tree worth if you sold it for lumber? If you were lucky in my area you would get $200 per 1,000 board feet for the tree. That would take a big tree. More likely the tree is forth no more than $100.

How much would it cost you to remove the tree in the future? How much damage will that tree do to your house? Would prevailing winds drop the tree on your house?

I like trees but they are dangerous. In our 10 years with our current land I have seen dozens of trees blown down by storms. Some very big trees up to 36 inch in diameter. The tree is not worth the damage it will cause if it walls on the house much less hurts or kills someone.

I slept through Hurricane Fran back in the 90's when a couple of large limbs broke off the trees within 20 feet of the house. I was danged lucky the limbs did not go through the roof or a window. They both hit the side of the house and if they had hit a few feet to one side they would have gone through a window. One limb hit between taking out a window and the heat pump.

When the winds blow I wake up now. I wish I had cut down the %^&* trees so I could sleep.....

Later,
Dan

 

[JB4310]

I did not think about the varied growth rate. Based on all the comments, firewood!

It's my favorite firewood!

.

 

[SandburRanch]

Way too late in life I learned my lesson and made a rule to follow if I were to live another life.

The Rule: DO NOT LET TREES DICTATE.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Every tree around the house that I have cut has worth many times more than the husband beating it cost me at the time.

This summer I got beat up by both the wife and daughter for chain saw use on about 6 trees before we put up 28x30 storage/shop building by the house but the marks left have all healed.

The son and I were trimming them back and realized this was going to be a FOREVER job and took the big saw to the trunks. When looking we realized everyone was leaning in the direction of where the new building was going up.

While we live in a semi-circle of woods and just have to live with that fact I would never want the trunk of a huge tree closer than 100 foot of any building.

EVERYTHING we set around the house 25 years ago is TOO close today.

I love trees but I do not like them controlling what I think about everytime the wind blows.

It may be guy/gal thing in a general sense due to being hard wired in a different way.

 

[TonyF]

Well, I was all for keeping it myself, but now I'm not so sure. Everyone here local seems to think it will hold up to the wind ok - tornado all bets are off.

Tony