Here is a non equipment related issue, but I figured you guys would have worked around enough pine trees. I live in a subdivision that was built in the 70s in the middle of a pine stand. Most of the trees are gone now, except on the outside edges. I have cut a few dandies down on my property over the years, and only have 3 100 foot white pines, and a 60 foot red pine left. It is a residential area, but I do have about 3/4 of an acre. besides the red pine, all the trees are close enough to my house to clip it if they fall the right way, but they are all healthy, and barring high winds, and waterlogged ground, I'm not worried. One of the white pines however only about 5 feet inside my line, and could do a serious number on my neighbour's house. She never complains about it, and I always clean up the branches and pine needles on her side. I really don't want to cut it down. It provides a bit of privacy, and the kids hang out under it in the shade. About 45 or 50 feet up, it splits off into 2 main runners. If I were to cut one runner, say this fall, and use something to seal the cut. Then cut the next runner and seal it next fall, do you think it would kill the tree? It has a lot of branches below the 45 foot mark, and I would still have the privacy, and the kids would still have their hang out. If I was going to cut the entire tree, being that it is so close to her house, I would probably get a man lift from work, and limb it from the bottom up, then junk it up as I come back down. Probably do the same if I were to cut the runners to avoid breaking lower branches.
I think you'll be fine. Not sure if I'd do that or not, but I might. Are you thinking liability potential, or just being a good neighbor, or something else? partly depends on which direction your storms come from compared to where the top would drop. As far as I've heard, just leave the cut bare is the current recommendation.
Would one ask a butcher or a Vet animal health questions ? Get an arborist out to look at it. NC State has foresters/arborists available to advise folks. Maybe your province does too ...
My insurance tells me that as long as the tree is strong and healthy, if it falls due to an act of God, it is the neighbours problem, and their insurance should cover it. But if the tree is unhealthy, and at risk of falling, and falls, it falls to my insurance.. We only get the tail end of your hurricanes here. Not near the high winds. Most of our high winds come in the winter during a Nor easter. I guess I figured someone that worked around machinery in the woods might have noticed pine trees that have lost large runners in the wind, and if they have survived. Most arborists will tell you to cut it or leave it. No in between. At least not around here. I checked a tree site one time, and you would think I was going to commit murder. This one went on about how the tree was probably over 100 years old, and it had more right to the property than I did. I promptly left that conversation.
You don't need an arborist to tell you that it has a weak crotch with two leaders. The liability sounds the same as here, they'd have to prove negligence for you to be responsible, like you were aware it was dead, injured and weak. I'd guess 99% of the time the insurance pays for their own insured in those cases, because houses are cheaper than lawyers. You're not going to hurt the existing branches by cutting off the top, trees get snapped off all the time. It might cause it to rot out faster than if it stayed up and split on it's own, but it's lower down and less risky then too.
I got a few bigguns on my property and a pair of eagles figure to raise several families in one. Killed it dead as dead and I can't cut it down because the eagles are still propagating.
We had one pine 3' in diameter in our backyard that was struck by lightening over a year ago and killed it dead as a hammer. Cost $3K to take it down with a few other trees back in Feb. A couple of weeks ago lightening hit the other 3' diameter pine across the creek in our back yard, about 50 yards away from the first pine. So far it hasn't died due to time of year but it's dead. Great another $3-4K to take it down.
I think what you are talking about is co-dominant runners. In my experience, they balance each other out on growth to a certain extent. Cut one side and the other side becomes a problem. Only a professional arborist can determine if a tree is a hazard or not. If you have one look and they determine it is a hazard, you have no choice but to bring the tree down. Around here I've heard of insurance companies not covering a known peril, such as a dead or dying tree, that has been ignored. Right now if you leave it alone and it comes down, the act of God clause takes affect. If you have someone out to take it down, make sure their insurance will cover any issues that might occur in then bringing it down. It they happen to drop the tree into yours or a neighbor's house, your insurance might cover the repair and then file subrogation against the contractor, but then again maybe not. Around here we call these types of trees a school marm.
2 lightning strikes in a year, and now a tornado over the hill? I ain't no medicine man, but someone's sending you smoke signals!
No doubt right? Wife and I have a 1.5 acre lot closer in to the city we plan to build on last March before the world went nuts. Decided to go ahead in July only to find out lumber prices increased $50K for the house! Lumber is still in the $800 per 1000 range so we're waiting.
My subdivision is a loop. I am on the inside of the loop with a field behind me. At one time they had a ball field, and a hockey rink there. The people in the neighborhood looked after it. Then when this area was absorbed by the city, the public works dept took everything away because they didn't want the liability. The homes on the outside of the loop border the woods, a few big pines remain, but there is a right of way to the next property. I think at one time it was going to be another development. It has some big pines. They have grown in a group, so they are only 2 footers at the butt, but man they are tall. A young fell that had bought a house next to the right of way was worried about some of the larger pines, and had them cut. Now in behind the white pines are a bunch of jack pines. When the white pines were there, the jack pines never moved, but now, when the wind blows, those big boys do some awful swaying. Maybe I'll leave the old girl for now. My daughter is 10, so she won't be playing under the pine much longer. I'll wait a few more years, then bring her down.
Re: Cutting edge's subdivision... I used to live in a subdivision with a home owner association. The HOA owned the common area. When the adjoining property wanted to connect to the roads, they had to cross a little strip of land. The HOA got a bunch of money selling the little strip, Point of the story.... Who owned the ball field and rink ? How Did the PW dep't take the land? Canadian rules ?
No HOA around here. The area is along the Miramichi river. At one time, The town of Newcastle was on the north side of the river, and the town of Chatham was south. I was from the town of Newcastle. At one point, the province decided to bring together Newcastle, and all of the little service districts on that side of the river, and Chatham and it's out lying service districts, and become the city of Miramichi. I now live in an area that was between the town of Chatham, and the village of Loggieville. Taintville.....taint Chatham, and it taint Loggieville. The field was just zoned a public property, and the subdivision.... probably 40 homes, they bought the stuff to build the rink, and the ball field. I think the province might have donated some stuff. Anyway once the city was formed, it all became city property. Public works, and parks an rec, came in, tore down the pump house, backfilled the well, and took the rink back boards. One of the homes in the subdivision bought the property a few years back for a dollar. Some kind of a snake deal, because no one knew it was for sale.
From what my arborist friends have told me is topping trees is not exceptable anymore. From what i understand you will get new leaders growing trying to take over the place of the ones you cut. The problem is they will not be growing from i side the wood they will be more from the bark and weak and will be a hazard. The norm now is just to have a climber thin out the tree. I am not a arborist or have anything to do with trees other then burning them. My advice is free so that is what it is worth.
Insurance companies have as far as I know a uniform agreement that if a tree on your property falls on your neighbor's property, no matter what, the neighbor's homeowners insurance will cover it. Having had neighbors trees on both sides fall and do damage to our structures, I have learned that. Now, tree related: I know of White pine, Yellow pine, (Ponderosa) Sugar pine, but what is a Red pine? That is a new one to me. Even my dendrology book (1963 printing) does not mention one. I assume it is a common name like Red fir and Yellow fir for Douglas fir depending on the age of the tree.
Maybe Tamarac?
A Red Pine is a species of yellow pine found in MN and east, not as hard or strong as Southern yellow pines though. It is common in WI, especially planted in pulpwood plantations on sandy soils. Has a reddish tinge to the bark and two needles. Tamarack or Larch is a conifer that loses it's needles in the winter, and grows in swamps too wet for any other tree. Also planted in dryer sites. Wouldn't surprise me at all if insurance companies have a "no fault" tree damage agreement. After all, most trees fall in storms, and it's hard to prove negligence when there's branches down all over. If your neighbor has a weak tree though, a registered letter will usually get action. Even more if you could send one to their insurance company if you could find it. Hard to deny negligence when you've been warned.
I really need to bite the bit, and get a phone that I can post pictures. They use red pine trees to make hydro poles. They grow tall and straight, and their branches are small. Must be something in the sap, as the hornets love them. Pinus Resinosa.
In general and in this state for sure, you can't tell your neighbor to cut down a tree just because you think it might fall. Only a certified professional can make the determination. The neighbor cannot be compelled to hire an arborist to come and make that decision. I should make a video of the road I have to travel with all the dead and dying alder and cottonwood trees that are going to take down communications and power lines in the not distant future. There are trees that are hanging on the phone lines even now and the property owners want to be paid for the wood before they will allow the crews to take them out.
Around here, the power company has an easement that specifically states they can come and cut trees within the easement. If a tree is on the lines, it's on the easement and is fair game... Landowner is SOL.
How wide is the easement? It wouldn't do much good here as an average tree height is more that forty feet.
You can't tell them to take the tree down, but if you send them photos, or just describe the fault with the tree and how it is a danger to your property, and suggest it would be negligent of them to leave it after they've been informed by certified mail. They usually get the hint. You don't need an arborist to see a tree is dead, or rotten and hollow, or has dangling dead branches.
That isn’t my experience nor the phone and power company’s.
My neighbour is retired from the power company. He said, " in winter, a white birch tree is good for 2 things. 1. they knock the lines down when the wet snow, and freezing get on them and bend them over. 2. they knock the lines down when the snow and ice melts and they whip back up. But same here. I planted a hand full of acorns as a kid in my parents back yard under the power line. Some years later, they didn't hesitate to come in the yard, and cut it down as it dot closer to the wires.
As I can remember the easement is 15 feet of either side of the line. or 30 feet. But they will take down (reluctantly, I had to convince them it was a clear hazard ) trees outside the easement that threaten the line at their cost. I didn't want to lose power again. It's a constant struggle with homeowners in this area. They don't want trees cut, but they do want reliable power. In every storm event, the outages affect lots of people. Not just the homeowner with a badly located tree.
I had them take down a big pine. I didn't want to touch it as it was leaning toward their line. The guy from the hydro that was supervising the cutting contractor said he didn't have a work order for my tree, but he was going to grab his lunch, and if it happened to fall while he was gone, so be it. I would however, have to clean it up. The guy on the saw knew his stuff. It was already leaning towards the wire, and it was branch heavy that way as well. He managed to lay her down along the length of the line, and not touch it, plus I got a good supply of fire wood.
It's a known fact that plants will grow towards the light. The best and most light comes from the cleared area .. That just happens to be where the power line is. We Humans clear an area and then work at keeping the plants out ... Typical human operation... create an incentive and then work against it. So many examples in society.
We have virtual tunnels over some of the county roads.
I had some time today and got a few photos of the stretch of road I travel most everyday. The first is a mature alder that is in the process of rotting off the runners. Here is one of those runners. Not that it is sitting on the phone and cable cable and the pole is actually holding it from falling on the guard rails below.
This is the base of that runner. Note the leaning Cottonwood trees. The tops will stretch across the road when they fall. Want to roll the dice when driving through here in a wind storm next October or November.
More dying and leaning trees. The yard arm on this pole is to hold more of the communications lines away from the leaners. How much good will it do when the alders above decide they weight too much for the bank to hold them up.
Trees in this area came down a couple of month ago. There's plenty more for it to happen again. The cottonwoods were growing in the ditch and just toppled over.
Brand new poll but the old isolated was left. The saw dust was from people scavenging fire wood. This is the DougFir that got that pole. Note the root rot at the left of the log.
Another fir with root rot that got the power line. If you look in the lower middle of the photo you can see a smallish tree directly under the phone lines. The power crew cut it off in the middle when it was about six feet from the power lines above. They left the limbs underneath. Check out the background on the right. Plenty more hazard trees to fall.
How come the power company does not cut all that down? Around here hydro quebec takes down or trims what ever they want. I watched them last week go threw a million dollar neighborhood and absolutely butcher everything close to the lines. They dont care if it kills the tree after.
Gees John, someone has some serious liability problems there. If there's a fire and that road is closed because of the burning trees, people can't evacuate, fire-fighters can't get in. Had the same problems in Australia last year so now everything is getting cleared up to 40 metres either side of some roads.
Same here Don. Asplundh clears most of the ROW's here for Alabama Power. If it's in the ROW it's cut and chipped. I like my lights on so I have no issue with that.
They cut here for hydro quebec too. Crazy how big Asplundh is
They are here in New Brunswick as well. Funny how large some companies get. I know Miller is all across Canada. I wonder if they are big in the US?
Lots of moss
CE we had a power line crew from NB down here last November helping get the lights back on. We were hit with a few hurricanes and some high winds so our local crews were slammed, it was much appreciated that our neighbors to the North came down to lend a hand.
And in Australia and New Zealand as well.
You guys probably don't see too many arret signs down there. When we work on the reserves here, the stop signs all say nagaasi. New Brunswick and Maine send a lot of stuff back and forth across the border. Power crews, snow plows. There is a tavern in St Stephen. If a fight breaks out, Cops from Calais Maine will show up and collect their people as the local police grab theirs.
Tones I thought Asplundh was down there as well. Stunningly large company. Well I can say that was my first. . We might see a Stop/Alto sign every now and then but no Arret.