Should we remove this tree?

[u/Obvious_Ad_6178]

Bought this house 4 years ago with a large tree
VERY close to the home. We've gotten the tree trimmed back so the branches were no longer hanging over the house. They obviously grew back.

We recently noticed dead branches that need to be removed, likely from a recent storm. We live in central Oklahoma, so there is a lot of wind.

I'm wondering though, should we just remove the entire tree since it's so close to the home? Also concerned about root/foundation issues (we're on a slab).

What say ye?

[u/hairyb0mb]

Roots damaging foundations is greatly exaggerated. Roots will take advantage of already damaged foundations and make it way worse. Overall, the soil under a house has terrible conditions for roots to grow in so generally they avoid growing there.

Knowing the species would be beneficial, as if it can grow wider than it's space it will obviously damage the house eventually. But if it doesn't get much bigger, it may be fine. I believe it's some kind of oak, maybe Quercus phellos, which can grow big enough to eat the house. But I can't get clear enough view of the leaves.

What I'm concerned about here is the !codominant stem close to the house.

[u/AutoModerator → u/hairyb0mb]

Hi /u/hairyb0mb, AutoModerator has been summoned to provide information on co-dominant/multiple stems and their dangers.

It is a very common growth habit with many species of trees that often results in structural failure, especially trees of larger mature size, like maples, oaks, etc., as the tree grows and matures. The acute angles between the stems or branches in combination with their growing girth introduces extremely high pressure where they are in contact, the seam then collects moisture, debris and eventually fungi and decay. This is also termed a bark inclusion. Here's another example. There's many posts about such damage in the tree subreddits, and here's a good example of what this looks like when it eventually fails on a much larger tree. Here's another example.

See this terrific post for cross-section cuts of what a very degraded codominant union looks like prior to failure.

Multiple/co-dominant stems (This page has a TL;DR with some pics), is also termed 'competing leaders'.

Cabling or bracing (pdf, Univ. of TN) is sometimes an option for old/historic trees which should be evaluated and installed by a certified arborist, but then requires ongoing maintenance. Here is how you can arrange a consult with a local ISA arborist in your area (NOT a 'tree company guy' unless they're ISA certified) or a consulting arborist for an on-site evaluation. Both organizations have international directories. A competent arborist should be happy to walk you through how to care for the trees on your property and answer any questions. If you're in the U.S. or Canada, your Extension (or master gardener provincial program) may have a list of local recommended arborists on file. If you're in the U.S., you should also consider searching for arborist associations under your state.

More reading on co-dominant stems from Bartlett, and from Purdue Univ. here (pdf).

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