Suggestions plz

[Plow Boy]

I have a young pin oak in the yard that has two trunks and I was wondering if I should cut the one on the side leaning out or not. One advantage of leaving it would be it is leaning away from the house.

 

[bogydave]

Nothing wrong with a double trunk.
Looks healthy.
Why cut it at all?
A little pruning & shaping every so often, Keep the center fairly open for good air flow.

 

[Plow Boy]

thanks dave, see that is what I was trying to tell my wife and then my dad says cut it, then my grandparents say cut it. I was not sure why they wanted to cut it. Like u said it is a perfectly healthy tree and I think it adds character. Also u mentioned pruning I have to be honest I have never pruned my trees and hadn't thought about it until I have been involved with this site.

 

[Woody Stover]

I was not sure why they wanted to cut it.

Maybe they aren't wood nuts with the deep, abiding love that we have for trees?
Seriously, there might be some good reasons to cut it. An arborist would have some answers for you; Maybe your county has one. If it's close to the house it may have to go eventually, but I would be inclined to let it go for a while.

 

[bogydave]

thanks dave, see that is what I was trying to tell my wife and then my dad says cut it, then my grandparents say cut it. I was not sure why they wanted to cut it. Like u said it is a perfectly healthy tree and I think it adds character. Also u mentioned pruning I have to be honest I have never pruned my trees and hadn't thought about it until I have been involved with this site.

Prune in the late Fall, well after the leaves are gone.
Prune the limbs that fill the center so trees gets lots of air. Good to keep bugs out & birds like it too.

 

[paul bunion]

It might be a good idea to remove the lesser trunk. The stronger one could benefit from the removal of the competition. But I'm no expert, I think the best advice is what Woody said, get someone who knows to look at it.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I would not cut it at all. I just do not see a need and I like the twin trunks. We have a few pin oaks like that and lots of soft maple and still a few ash.

Dave is right about the pruning. Best when the tree is dormant. I think he meant to say, "...lots of air," rather than, "lost of air."

 

[fossil]

I think it's a beautiful tree and that removing one of its twin trunks would be a real shame. Prune (carefully & sparingly), by all means. Amputation, no way.

 

[rideau]

I'm an awful one to advise cutting, because I hate cutting any of my trees. But, especially near your house, I can see reasons to cut the non-dominant trunk. In my viewing of the photo, it looks as if this is a separate trunk which will grow, or is already growing, into the main trunk. If the secondary trunk can be cut without putting the main trunk at risk you will allow the main trunk to grow more quickly, and it will be a better shaped tree as it grows . Otherwise, the main trunk may gradually lean away from and grow a larger crown away from the growing secondary trunk, Also, as that tree grows into a multi stemmed specimen, I believe the developing fork will be susceptible to water entry and eventual rot. Long down the road (could be 50 or a hundred years away) someone might have to take the tree down because of rot and the threat of the tree falling on your home. Two years ago I had to do just that to a beautiful 31" DBH sugar maple growing about ten feet from my house. Expensive to remove because so much of the weight of the crown was growing over my roof. The crotch looked as if there was a crack, and the tree started to creak in heavy winds (scary), although the tree looked to be very healthy. AS it hit the ground, it broke at the fork. Totally hallow!

By all means, ask an expert (your Forestry service may be willing to come and go over your property with you if you have any acreage)
but I think work this Fall might give your tree the possibility of a much longer, healthier life. May very well not make a problematic difference in your lifetime.

 

[Plow Boy]

thanks for all the advice guys, I believe we are going to leave it the way it is. it decided to grow that way so we decided to let it. I think it will be a fine tree in 15 to 20 years.

 

[red oak]

I agree with you - let it go. Looks good to me.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Looks good from here too...

 

[ScotO]

there's a huge white oak in my neighbors back yard that is a double trunk just like your pin oak.....its well over a hundred years old and is a beautiful tree, and it's perfectly healthy......

In regards to pruning, it's easy to do. BUT, to keep the tree in optimal health and to protect it from critters, it's best to do the pruning in it's dormant months, or to make it easier, only months that end in "er" (September, October, November, December). I like doing my pruning jobs in late fall/early winter. The trees don't shock from that at all, and always come back strong and healthy!

 

[Nick Mystic]

Both of those trunks look like they are of a size that if you cut one down you could develop rotting that would affect the remaining tree. I don't think the tree could heal a would as large as cutting down half of it. As for pruning limbs from the center of the tree, consider this: Both trunks are already leaning outward a bit. Once you start removing center mass the remaining limbs on the outside will be putting that much more weight in the direction the trunks are leaning, thus adding more stress to the crotch of the tree where it is common for trees to split apart.

 

[Plow Boy]

yeah, im just going to leave it along for now and prune it lightly in the center as the dave suggested. (in the "er' months, thanks scotty)

nice to see another NC guy on here what part of wnc u at nick

 

[Nick Mystic]

I'm over in Marion.

 

[Plow Boy]

cool, that is about 2 hours from us.