What is this, and what do I do about it?

[LostInTheWoods]

Had some time today after work to get a better look at the trees. The "Dozer Demolition" theory seems to have more merit. There are a total of 24 trees (did he HAVE to hit ALL of them?!) in all. And they are all in the yard, or at the edge of the woodline where the dozer could potentially hit them. I searched into the woods today, and couldn't find any other trees outside of "dozer range" with similar problems. And all the problem areas are 5 feet or less from the ground....exactly where you'd expect them to be hit by a dozer.

The problem areas on the bark aren't all facing into areas that would receive direct sunlight in the winter, so it is less likely that freeze/thaw would be the culprit, although I suppose it could have added what looks like "newer" damage (peeling bark, etc).

A forester from KY Dept of Forestry is going to come out next week, so I'll share his professional opinion of what's going on, and what he thinks should be done about it.

 

[Knotbored]

Around here the damage would be blamed on Sasquash and make the local newspaper, and maybe bring in a movie, or a TV series. Several cafes would rename themselves and relics would appear in the tourist traps, and perhaps be offered on Ebay.
After a couple years alternate theories about alien visitors would take over and in a generation or two all would just become local legend.

 

[jimmyj]

It's going to be interesting to see what the expert says. To me, the damage looks like it was caused mechanically. I'm with the dozer theory.

 

[LostInTheWoods]

Well, the verdict is in. A nice guy named Steve from the KY Dept of Forestry came out to look at the trees.

More or less, the trees are probably hosed. Some will probably make it. A lot probably won't. The vast majority of the damage is from the bulldozer three years ago. Some additional damage is from insects taking advantage of the damaged trees, and woodpeckers taking advantage of the insects. Circle-of-Life kind of stuff.

The vast majority of the affected trees are oaks. Seems there are two general groupings of oaks...."white" oaks and "red" oaks, each containing a number of different oak types. The white group has leaves that are rounded at the tips, and are less likely to suffer as much from construction than reds. Red oak leaves are more pointed (pointier?) around the edges. They don't respond very well to disturbance. (Guess which type I have the most of... ).

Sealing is a no-go. Steve says most recent research tells us, if anything, sealing might even worsen the problem. Fertilizing with a low nitrogen fertilizer (like 5-20-20) probably helps, but may not be enough to save the trees. The low nitrogen fertilizer stimulates roots, which is most beneficial long-term when trying to rehab these trees.

For future reference, anyone wanting to build "in the woods" would probably do better removing the more mature trees, then replacing with trees of your choice after construction. Older trees just don't do well with change. If you have preexisting trees on the younger side, these will have a much better chance of making it. (Just mark them REALLY well with tape, so construction equipment will hopefully steer clear).

 

[tugboat-2]

Lost: ....thanks for this report,...interesting learning experience. For some of us, it is no surprize it was the dozer to blame. Just a darn shame he had to damage so many good trees!!! A pretty careless operator I'd say!!

I'm guilty of hitting trees also, but I must say not many, if I can help it. In fact, I always feel I should apologize to the tree I hit,..as I feel bad about it because I love trees. There was nothing but stumps on my land 34 years ago and I have planted each and every beautiful tree on the place,..some are pretty magnificent today,...I guess that's why I feel as I do.

Thanks again for taking the time to tell us what you found out.
CHEERS,
. . tug

 

[jinman]

I think Steve is a smart "cookie" and gave you some great info. There's a fellow locally who is a bit over-the-top on organics, but he has some good info for saving trees and what causes problems. His name is Howard Garrett and they call him the Dirt Doctor. Here is a link to his sick tree treatment. It might be worth considering.

Sick Tree Treatment