Good trees keep snapping in half, why?

[mbcijim]

I own 7 acres, of which 5-6 acres are wooded. It has 2 streams that come through it and is generally very swampy/wet. I cut down about 1/2 acre of trees smack in the middle to build my house. Most of the trees are maple and ash, they aren't very big, I'd say my oldest tree is 40-50 years old.

This year I've had 7 trees break off at the top in the last 2 months. The break seems fairly clean, not a split.

Most of the trees seem to be on the fringe of the tree line, they aren't breaking in the middle of the lot. I get that I'm opening up the woods and that the trees are now more exposed to more wind. But I really don't get much wind here, 1/4 of what I got at my old house 5 miles away.

Is this typical? Are my trees diseased?

 

[Blue Vomit]

I,m gonna guess low flying spacecraft. Don't worry, the probes don't hurt that much. hh:

 

[EatenByLimestone]

The trees didn't grow with lots of wind like those at the old house.

Matt

 

[DiscoInferno]

If the tree is diseased/rotted enough to weaken like that it should be fairly visible at the break - I've had a few beech trees snap like that, and invariably they were rotten in the middle (although the outer few inches is healthy). A clean break (minimal splintering,etc.) across the grain in most species can indicate fungal growth which eats the lignin and weakens the grain. Does the wood at the break seem to have any fungal growth, spalting, anything like that?

 

[CTYank]

Silver maples are very brittle, and I'd suspect that wind gusts got them.

 

[Wood Duck]

I think the trees are breaking because they grew in a dense forest, so they grew tall and thin to reach light. Now that you live there and have cut some of the trees they are getting more wind than they are used to and breaking, or maybe they would have broken anyway but now you are there to notice. I'd gradually thin the stand over the years, leaving more trees at first than you plan to leave in the end. That allows a few to break and be removed without making an unwanted gap in the stand.

 

[mywaynow]

Which direction are the breaking? Into the clearing or into the woods? My guess is they are not breaking in a direction toward the cleared area. Think of wind traveling over the tops of the trees, then the wind hits your open area. It will drop into the opening and hit the sides of the trees as it hits the end of the clearing. Very common to see damage after clearing lots like that.

 

[billb3]

I see that often with clearings made for lots.
Usually it's half a top, though.

Cracked in a previous storm.


I've had whole trees fall at 5AM in the still of the night.
I'm cutting up a huge oak that did just that a week ago.

 

[firefighterjake]

I,m gonna guess low flying spacecraft. Don't worry, the probes don't hurt that much. hh:

 

[zzr7ky]

Normal for Silver Maple. They'll grow up very fast together. Once the lot lot is thinned they're exposed to wind without thier buddys... It's to much for them.

On the bright side they burn! ; )

I have a similar situation. I have been planting Oak, Beech, Cedar, Spruce, Walnut, Sugar Maple, and HIckory to replace the Ash and Silver Maple. The trees are 3-18' tall so far since 1996.

ATB,
Mike

 

[Backwoods Savage]

mbcijim, is it possible for you to get some pictures and post them?