Tree splitting?

[Renovationman]

Is this a bad sign this tree is splitting? There’s no crack on other side.

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[TreePointer]

Looks like splitting.

Could be many causes. Possibly started from a bark inclusion that caused a weakness.

Also, some trees are prone to splitting from the way they tend to grow and branch (bradford pear, for instance).

 

[Ashful]

Common in some species. You can run a cable between the two branches, between 1/2 and 2/3 way between crack and maximum height, if you want to keep the tree. Typically done by drilling thru each half, thru-bolting an eye bolt in each branch, and then running a cable with eyes between them.

 

[Renovationman]

Common in some species. You can run a cable between the two branches, between 1/2 and 2/3 way between crack and maximum height, if you want to keep the tree. Typically done by drilling thru each half, thru-bolting an eye bolt in each branch, and then running a cable with eyes between them.

This was going to be my next question as we want to keep tree. I’ll have to figure out best limbs to tie together then. Here’s a pic from further away.

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[Ashful]

That thing is so young and small, I’d be inclined to just remove it and start over. I have this issue with a 100 foot tall hackberry, which would take three generations to replace. I suspect that tree of yours will always be weak there, and with the proximity to the house, I’d just take it out before it becomes an eventual concern.

 

[Renovationman]

It’s funny you say it’s young, but I guess being close to 40 years old,in the grand scheme it is young. In the last three years I’ve had to cut down seven cottonwoods as they just died. I’ve got none left now.



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[Woody Stover]

Is that a White Ash?

 

[SeanBB]

Water will get into the split and will eventually rot the trunk. If it were mine I would take it down.

 

[Renovationman]

Is that a White Ash?

Not sure but if it keeps splitting I’ll call it fire wood lol.


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[Ashful]

It’s funny you say it’s young, but I guess being close to 40 years old,in the grand scheme it is young. In the last three years I’ve had to cut down seven cottonwoods as they just died. I’ve got none left now.

The same thing has been happening here, I lose three to five trees each year. But I’ve been planting 15 - 20 new trees each year, so I’m seeing a net increase. On a smaller scale, I’d just plan to plant a few new trees each year, as your budget and property dictate.

I used to do bare root, which can be had very cheap via mail order, and I’ve had great success with them. More recently I’ve been trading money for time, and have started doing more balled and burlap trees, which is higher risk but yields quick results. I have trees planted in the last five years (particularly Princeton Elm and River Birch) that may be of similar height to that tree of yours. I water them 2x per week, and fertilize 2x per year, trying to maximize growth rate.

 

[jaoneill]

I would tend to agree with the "take it down" posts above. That baby is on its way out; the sooner you take it down the better. Plant a better tree, further from the house, you would be surprised how fast the years go by. I planted a pair of sugar maples, 6' saplings I pulled up from down in the woodlot in 1989 the weekend that I took my daughter to start her first year of college. Those trees today would dwarf your little split tree; they're 18" at the base and 50' tall.

 

[Renovationman]

With winter for 5 months a year here in central Canada nothing grows that fast.
We recently had an ice storm that destroyed many trees and took down power lines in most of the southern part of the province. This tree was cracked even before that.


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[jaoneill]

I am in the northern foothills of the Adirondacks, our weather is awfully similar to yours......

 

[CincyBurner]

That included stem won't get better with age.
It's always best to prune out included stems while trees are still young (high vitality), and small (diameter of half-dollar optimum).

It's an arborists job to accurately assess risk and communicate that to the property owner, along with treatment options.
It's the property owner's responsibility to determine the level of risk they are willing to assume.

Is there a target, such as your house ? It's tough to tell from the pic. Is failure probable ? What is the extent of possible damage ?
Can the risk be mitigated ? Ashful mentioned cabling and bracing. If you go that route, hire an ISA certified arborist that does cabling and bracing, and can properly assess condition, whether it's good candidate, and will tailor a specific design/ plan for your tree. Few arborists cable and brace, and those that do it's not a major portion of their business. It's easy to do it improperly.
There are two types of cabling: static and dynamic (even fewer use this new practice).
Cable systems should annually be professionally inspected and adjusted (as needed).
The job of a cabling system is not necessarily to prevent failure, but to mitigate its severity and scope of damage.
Cabling is often performed in conjunction with bracing (putting a screw rod/s through the trunk).
I can't make out the tree species (pic of leaves ?). That might have some bearing on your decision.

If it were me I'd be inclined to remove tree.

 

[gzecc]

Looks like a norway maple. Probably ants in that crack.

 

[Renovationman]

Looks like a norway maple. Probably ants in that crack.

Leaves all gone and mulched up. Definitely not a maple I know that. No ants, yet!!



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[Renovationman]

That included stem won't get better with age.
It's always best to prune out included stems while trees are still young (high vitality), and small (diameter of half-dollar optimum).

It's an arborists job to accurately assess risk and communicate that to the property owner, along with treatment options.
It's the property owner's responsibility to determine the level of risk they are willing to assume.

Is there a target, such as your house ? It's tough to tell from the pic. Is failure probable ? What is the extent of possible damage ?
Can the risk be mitigated ? Ashful mentioned cabling and bracing. If you go that route, hire an ISA certified arborist that does cabling and bracing, and can properly assess condition, whether it's good candidate, and will tailor a specific design/ plan for your tree. Few arborists cable and brace, and those that do it's not a major portion of their business. It's easy to do it improperly.
There are two types of cabling: static and dynamic (even fewer use this new practice).
Cable systems should annually be professionally inspected and adjusted (as needed).
The job of a cabling system is not necessarily to prevent failure, but to mitigate its severity and scope of damage.
Cabling is often performed in conjunction with bracing (putting a screw rod/s through the trunk).
I can't make out the tree species (pic of leaves ?). That might have some bearing on your decision.

If it were me I'd be inclined to remove tree.

Not sure what it is. Leaves are all down and mulched already. Leaves on the ground are from the poplars in the background.


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[johneh]

I am in the northern foothills of the Adirondacks, our weather is awfully similar to yours......

Not really have you ever been at Portage and Main in
Winterpeg in January ( sorry I mean Winnipeg)

 

[Renovationman]

Not really have you ever been at Portage and Main in
Winterpeg in January ( sorry I mean Winnipeg)

No kidding

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[jaoneill]

Not really have you ever been at Portage and Main in
Winterpeg in January ( sorry I mean Winnipeg)

Got me; I was thinking more like a bit north of Ottawa.....

 

[Renovationman]

I forgive you lol. Many people including in Ontario think they are in the centre of Canada. However the longitudinal centre of Canada is just east of Winnipeg. Winters can be rough here and growing stuff in this clay soil we have is a chore.


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[maple1]

That doesn't look good, at all. Crack is in the middle of the trunk & goes all the way to the bottom.

We had some big maples taken down at our cottage, that had cracks showing at the base of huge limbs overhanging our roof. The cracks didn't look very long or particularly bad but after they came down & were cut up, the damage was much worse & extended much further inside where you couldn't see it.

I would take it down, painful as it might be, especially if your house or power lines are within reach if it comes down in a hurry in the wind.

 

[Firewood Bandit]

The problem with that tree started many years ago when it was very small. The tree had co dominant leaders and grew with very shallow branch angle. One should have been pruned off way back when. When there is shallow branch angle bark is compressed between the two growing bodies leading to a very weak branch. This happens a lot with soft maples. The only answer if you want to keep it is remove the least vigorous branch.