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Advice on bifurcated oak trunk

15 years ago

We have an old oak tree that has a bifurcated trunk, each being about 40 feet tall. One trunk has died but the other appears healthy with plenty of leaves. Should we cut off the dead trunk or leave both standing? (The advantage of leaving both standing would be to provide balance for each truck but am not sure if leaving the dead one standing would also drain the life of the healthy trunk)

Thanks for your help.

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Comment (1)

brandon7 TN_zone7
15 years ago
Your description leaves a lot of room for interpretation, but...

Leaving the dead trunk attached would probably be a fairly short term solution to balance. A dead trunk will rot and start to collapse.

The tree will not be able to seal off the wound on the healthy part of the tree if the dead part is allowed to stay attached. The dead part cannot "drain the life of the healthy trunk", but can provide a hindrance for proper healing (sealing off). A large wound may not be covered over fast enough to prevent rot, anyway. But leaving the dead parts attached will definitely provide an opening for rot, pests, and disease.
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