apple tree

[wesessiah]

this thing has had the hollow in it for the 2 and half years i've lived here, but now is showing a lot more dead branches, and some of them with what appears to be a white mold. it still produced as many apples as it normally does, but is it on its way out and needs to be cut? sorry the picture of the hollow portion isn't better, but the middle hole and bottom hole are connected in in an L shape, and the smaller part of the hole at the bend is about 3 inches. really don't need any more wood in the process queue, but with the branches starting to die i don't need a liability either. thanks.

 

[TreePointer]

Apple trees can be amazing organisms. There was an apple tree like that on our farm ~35 years ago. It's still around and producing apples. If people are around it, I'd get rid of it.

 

[wesessiah]

thanks for the reply. i only have one neighbor within any kind of proximity, but he does have 3 kids (11,14, and 16) and we do have them over on a regular basis, and the kids help me unload wood and so on... otherwise i wouldn't be concerned with it.

 

[StuckInTheMuck]

you could always just load test it.. put a strap 10 feet up, pull it with a vehicle and see if it breaks at the weak point. If it does, cut it for firewood.. If not, you get another year of apples out of it. Of course you might have to try pulling a couple of different directions to make sure it's sturdy enough. I'd imagine that the point at which it is most likely to break (when you're not inducing the stress) would be when it's loaded down with apples which is exactly the time that people would be around the tree, so not a good time for that to happen.

 

[TreePointer]

Ours is a really old tree that we don't regularly pick. It's mostly there for variety near our house and it's a treat for the deer.

 

[Paulywalnut]

An apple tree I had here for years finally came down. It was like yours. Oddly it was very healthy and productive
And blew over in a strong wind roots and all so I guess it was weakened all along.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

For sure you'll have some good firewood.

 

[TreePointer]

(I smell smoked ribs, mmmm)

 

[wesessiah]

thanks for the replies fellas. looks like it's going to be a pain to split, but it can't be worse than the half a cord or better of sweet gum i have to deal with.

 

[Mr. Kelly]

An apple tree I had here for years finally came down. It was like yours. Oddly it was very healthy and productive
And blew over in a strong wind roots and all so I guess it was weakened all along.

We had a "teenaged" apple tree in our yard topple during a large snowstorm early in the fall a few years ago. We just tied rope around it, attached the other end of the rope to a car, and pulled 'er back upright! I threw some large stones around the base, and in the cavity that was created by the trunk and roots, and she's been doing well since!

 

[StuckInTheMuck]

We had a "teenaged" apple tree in our yard topple during a large snowstorm early in the fall a few years ago. We just tied rope around it, attached the other end of the rope to a car, and pulled 'er back upright! I threw some large stones around the base, and in the cavity that was created by the trunk and roots, and she's been doing well since!

Well, if we're going to play that game, then wesessiah might as well throw a couple of reinforcing rods of rebar inside the tree and then fill that cavity with concrete... Just make sure you don't hit it with the chainsaw in 20 years when she's finally ready to come down..

 

[Wood Duck]

As others have already said, apple trees like that can live a really long time. I'd keep it until it falls on its own.