TREE WORLD

Your Questions

Hello. In my yard I have a lovely clump of birch with three stems (each stem is 5 or 6 cm in diameter). During the ice storms in January 97 and January 98, my birches bent right over until their tops touched the ground. In time, after the thaw, the trees returned more or less to normal. But one of the trees hangs over a sidewalk to the house and I have to push it out of the way quickly, which damages small branches and buds every time.

I have two questions for you:

1. Should I tie the three stems together before winter begins to reduce the curvature from ice storms, and if so, how?

2. Could I give my birches any fertilizer or other vitamins next summer to strengthen them?

I have 4 cedars that are 10 to 15 feet high. I have removed the ice but they are still bent over.: 3. Should I use stakes to straighten them up?

I had a series of shrubs (lilacs, sumac, etc.) around the perimeter of my yard. The ice from my neighbour's garage just fell on them (the ice was 6 inches thick). All my shrubs have been buried under a heap of ice.: 4. What should I do? Will the shrubs survive?

I have a 9-foot cedar hedge. The tops of some cedars were stuck in the ice, and others broke (the main trunk split).: 5. How can I repair my hedge? Should I cut the cedars lower down to strengthen the bottom?

My tree has a number of broken branches and some of the remaining ones cause it to look lopsided. It doesn't look very nice.: 6. Can I prune the healthy branches to give it a better shape when I prune the broken branches?

The cedar hedge around my backyard has been crushed by the weight of the ice.: 7. Should I stake it up?

The top of my spruce tree broke during the ice storm.: 8. What should I do?

I have in my front yard a clump of three birches (4 to 5 inches in diameter each) that are attached at the base. One of them broke off at the bottom, taking part of the trunk with it.: 9. If I remove only the broken stem, will the two other birches survive?

My cedar hedge has broken in two.: 10. Can I prune it where it broke?

I have had a lot of calls from people who say they are pruners or tree specialists. How do I know which one to choose? Here are a few questions you should ask them.

11. Is the person a member of an association?

12. Do the workers have certificates from a recognized school?

13. Does the person have liability insurance?

One of my trees broke in two 6 feet from the ground, leaving no branches.: 14. Is it a total loss?

: 15. In your opinion, how many trees fell?

We know that hardwoods have reaction wood that grows in the same direction as the force of the weight of the ice. Conifers do not have this problem because their reaction wood grows in the opposite direction to the force.: 16. Is it true that hardwoods cannot straighten up and that they lose their stability?; 17. Does tension stress vs. compression stress make a difference in structural failure of tree branches?