Sweet Gum Trouble?

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

We have a huge, beautiful old sweet gum tree in our back yard. We moved into this house almost three years ago and it is one of our favorite trees on the property, giving us lots of screening in the back. We've always thought this was a very healthy tree by the look of it. However, over the last three days we have randomly had several large branches (guessing a couple hundred pounds) fall from high up in the tree without any wind or storm to knock them down. I'm looking for: 1. any insight as to what might be wrong with the tree (i.e. is it sick/diseased? or could this possibly be normal?) and 2. any advice as to what we could do for it, if anything. The pictures here are taken to show the size of the tree from afar, what the branch looks like from which we think the others broke off, and what the wood looks like inside the fallen branch. Thanks!

Featured Answer

treeguy123

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

I've heard that Sweegums tend to do this some times (usually large old trees). It's probably due to a decay fungus that got inside the branch after some type of woodboring beetle dug a few tunnels under the bark. You can notice the center of the branch is dark colored, that it likely a type of decay fungus. Once the heartwood center is weakened, the branch can fail from its own weight.

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Comments (6)

bostedo: 8a tx-bp-dfw
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
No, it's not normal. As treeguy already said, old sweetgums are susceptible to a number of wood rots that can lead to limb failure. Probably time to call a good arborist if falling branches pose any hazard whatsoever. Hopefully they can still remove any infected limbs and save the tree from further loss.
aburnett24450 thanked bostedo: 8a tx-bp-dfw
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
no not a good arborist ... a ISA CERTIFIED arborist ...

add you city to the link below .. and find a tree doctor.. not just some monkey with a chainsaw ... who calls himself an arborist ...

and get an eyes on inspection ...

ken

https://www.google.com/search?q=isa+certified+tree+risk+assessor&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
aburnett24450 thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
bostedo: 8a tx-bp-dfw
11 years ago
ken: no not a good arborist ... a ISA CERTIFIED arborist ...

So.... did you mean to say that ISA CERTIFIED arborists are not good arborists?????? ;-)
jean001a
11 years ago
He said "You need more than a good arborist; you need an ISA Certified Arborist."
bostedo: 8a tx-bp-dfw
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Actually, I suspect he meant something more like "you need a good arborist who is also ISA certified". Selecting an arborist on ISA certification alone would be about as successful as selecting any other professional based only on their holding a particular license or certification. Certification is an indicator of "goodness", but no guarantee.... check references.

Did not intend for my "wink" to distract from Ken's excellent point that more than a pruning crew is needed for this sort of subtle disease/hazard.... and ISA certification is not a bad starting filter.