White pine top broken, why & how?????

[Fuddy1952]

Forty years ago I planted white pine trees in rows around here. Yesterday I noticed the top snapped off the top of one! It's up at least 30 ft. I can't figure out how it happened and how to get it down. I have 4x4 tractor and truck I'm sure would pull it but getting chain around is problem. Trees are spaced 8 ft. apart and gotten pretty large. I'd hate to cut whole tree down, bottom seems ok.
Yesterday needles on broken part were still green, and no high winds at all.
I have a rope and sandbag I might could throw but too many limbs around. At 28 I'd probably climb it with a saw, but not at 68.
Just wait for it to fall some day?

View attachment 704026

 

[Fuddy1952]

.

 

[nybirdman]

I would leave it alone and not cut the tree down(as long as it can't do any harm).

 

[oosik]

Yes - let it be. Eventually the wind may blow it down and you will see what happened,

 

[PILOON]

As such white pine is a quite brittle wood and it does not take much of a wind to snap it.
Also it might just have been snapped for a while B4 you noticed it.

 

[Fuddy1952]

As such white pine is a quite brittle wood and it does not take much of a wind to snap it.
Also it might just have been snapped for a while B4 you noticed it.

That's what's weird. No wind, and yesterday needles in broken part were green. Brown pictures taken just now. I've never seen one just snap like this!
There is a huge limb behind it growing up so it will be the new top!
Brown needles circled, snapped top.

 

[ruffdog]

Being that the other limb is brown, I'm thinking the tree had a weak spot caused by canker. Sometimes that weak spot will be half the size of the rest of the trunk so it breaks easy.

Increased Occurrence of Pitch Canker in White Pine this Summer

 

[Fuddy1952]

Being that the other limb is brown, I'm thinking the tree had a weak spot caused by canker. Sometimes that weak spot will be half the size of the rest of the trunk so it breaks easy.

Increased Occurrence of Pitch Canker in White Pine this Summer

Thanks...interesting link.

 

[5030]

I'd call a tree company with a high reach and have them remove it myself.

 

[Tinhack]

Could have been lightening. I see what looks like a split in the second picture.

There used to be a tree on the back fence line at my place. It was about 400ft. from the house. Lightening hit it and split the trunk high up. You could see where the bolt traveled down and blew all the bark off one side and left a burn mark. I ended up having to cut the tree down.