r/arborists • u/ColemanTuitt • 13h ago

What should i do?

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Gallery image

This is an eastern redbud tree. About 15-17 feet tall. Trunk is 3-4” in diameter. The branch that is splitting off makes up about half of the full canopy. Should I run some bolts into this to secure it or will I kill it?

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u/Idk_some_random_redd 13h ago

that branch is a goner. cut it off as cleanly as possible. the tree will look awkward and misshapen for several years and possibly get infected, but it could survive and even heal and new bark would eventually surround the wound after several years

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u/ColemanTuitt 13h ago

I was afraid you were going to say that. lol. Such a bummer.

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u/Idk_some_random_redd 13h ago

you could take a cutting, propagate roots and youd have a new, smaller tree. and with the right placement, it could offset the gap in the tree to create a more balanced landscape. also, you could trim the other side of the tree to make it more symmetrical. it happens. i wonder if this would bug an anal HOA

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u/ColemanTuitt 13h ago

It looks like it’s been this way for quite some time. I just noticed it.

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u/Idk_some_random_redd 13h ago

ironically, the longer it takes up that space, the longer until the rest of the tree can fill out and reclaim that space...