Hello World! Welcome Friends! Trees don’t just add beauty to the landscapes of the world, they also have many practical benefits. They provide shelter in gardens from the hot summer sun, and they help to cool and shade homes too.
They help with the local ecosystem and provide oxygen for people to breathe. They even add value to homes. One report from a few years ago stated that public trees in Portland added up to $7,000 to nearby properties.
Trees are calming, they make great playmates for children, they can provide fruit, and are aesthetically pleasing.
However, sometimes trees need to be chopped down. The reasons for this can range, and you can see some below. The bigger question though, is not why they need to be chopped down sometimes, but can they grow back again?
Firstly, What Are the Reasons For Cutting Down a Tree?
From visiting a professional tree surgeon’s website, it is clear that there is a demand for tree felling from time to time.
The reasons for this can be varied, and sometimes they are essential. Admittedly, sometimes people want trees chopped down because they feel they are taking up too much space, or they spoil the view. But for others, tree felling is an undesirable but necessary task.
It could be that your tree has become damaged badly in a storm and is now presenting a hazard to your family, and your property. In the case of storm damage, a tree can frequently be repaired, but this isn’t always possible. Sometimes a tree poses a risk of severe damage to a property if overhanging parts were to break off during the next storm, it’s at this point hiring a good quality arborist would be the best choice. An arborist can remove parts of the tree that pose a potential risk and ensure that the tree looks tidy and remains healthy in the process. This saves you haphazardly going at the bottom of the tree with a chainsaw and hoping it falls the right way.
Other reasons for cutting down trees can be because of disease, or because they are dying. A rotting tree will also present a hazard, and disease could spread to other plants and trees.
A dying tree simply doesn’t look good either and so you may want to chop it down before it completely dies.
You may also need space to extend your home, and find that one of your trees is in the wrong place.
Do You Need a Permit to Chop Down a Tree?
If you’re a keen DIY enthusiast then you may be used to carrying out all manner of tasks around your home. However, tree surgery is a tricky area to get involved in.
Hundreds of people get hurt or even killed while pruning trees or carrying out maintenance. Tree surgeons work high up and with heavy, dangerous equipment including chainsaws. Tree surgery is a dangerous occupation at times, and also one that often needs to be licensed.
According to the Sun Sentinel, most areas in the USA require an individual to have a permit before cutting down a tree. In the case of rotting and dying trees, this may not be applicable. However, it would seem that cutting down a healthy tree requires some sort of permit in most cities and states.
Aside from the dangers of amateur tree felling, there may be legal ramifications you need to consider. If you are considering cutting down a tree, consult with a local tree surgeon, and find out your local legislation and laws.
What Will Happen When You Chop a Tree Down?
The most obvious answer is that it falls over and needs to be removed. However, there is a lot more to it than just felling.
There are many ways to prolong the lifespan of your tree but sometimes they just need to be removed. If the tree is rotting then it can become a home for fungi and bacteria, as well as attract unwanted pests.
When the tree is chopped down it will start to die, even if it was a healthy specimen prior to being felled. It will need to be cut up and taken away of course. Once this is done, you will still have a tree stump to deal with, and this can present some concerns.
Is It Possible For a Tree to Grow Back After It Has Been Felled?
That tree stump that is left behind is attached to roots. These roots won’t simply shrivel up and die.
If the tree was healthy, then it will look for ways to survive. Small shoots known as suckers may start to grow from the tree root. They can be unsightly for many people, and they will grow haphazardly.
This happens because the tree is simply trying to find ways to survive and to effectively reproduce. Dying or rotten stumps are of a completely different concern.
If there are enough nutrients in a tree stump they can then grow shoots, but if the stump is rotten then it will attract pests and can present a hazard of its own.
One word burrowing insect that tree stumps can attract is the termite. Termites cause billions of dollars each year in structural damage. This is stated in a report by the Environmental Protection Agency.
If the stump is close to your home, you could find yourself with a termite problem from not removing it soon after the tree was cut down.
Why Wouldn’t You Want a Tree to Grow Back?
If you removed a tree from your property then there was surely a good reason to do so. Therefore, it makes little sense that you would want the tree to grow back.
Generally, when a tree stump tries to survive and shoots grow it can look unsightly. Branches can grow next to the stump, and if these suckers or shoots grow tall enough, they could present another type of problem.
The original tree would have been stable during its healthy years. However, these new shoots will not grow in the same uniform way. If they actually grew tall enough they could be unstable and present a danger.
How Can You Make Sure a Tree Doesn’t Grow Back?
Ideally, once you chop down your tree you will also look for a solution for the remaining stump.
It is said that tree roots can take up to 7 years to die after a tree is cut down. Unless you want the stump to start sprouting suckers, you will need to decide what to do with it.
This is especially true if your tree stump is diseased or decaying in any way. You have already read about the pests that dead tree stumps can attract, so it is imperative that you remove or destroy them in some manner.
Is Tree Stump Removal the Best Answer, and How Do You Do It?
Tree stump removal is the most invasive and labor-intensive way to solve this issue.
To remove a tree stump successfully requires digging all around the stump, and then cutting into the roots. You will need to expose all the roots and use something such as a chain saw to cut through them.
Once the stump is separated from the roots you can then lift it out of the ground.
After you have done this, you can fill in the hole with dirt and topsoil. However, this isn’t the only option.
Tree stump grinding, or the use of chemicals, are two other ways to remove offending stumps.
How Do You Kill the Tree Stump to Stop It From Trying to Grow Again?
One method for killing off a tree stump is to burn it. You can do this yourself without calling out a tree surgeon, and it is an effective method to kill the stump.
However, although the internet is full of videos and guides on how to burn tree stumps there is a word of caution. Obviously, you will need to remove any flammable objects from the vicinity, but you also need to check the law. In some areas, burning tree stumps is not legal.
Thus, you may need to look at the other options. One of these is to hire a grinder to destroy what remains of the stump above the ground. You could also hire someone to come in and grind your tree stump down. Many people prefer this method to stump removal as it is less invasive but just as effective.
The other choice is to use some form of chemical to speed up the process of the stump dying. This can be done fairly simply with fertilizer.
To do this you will need to further cut down the stump until it is level with the garden or the soil. Afterward, drill a number of holes up to eight inches into the stump. Once this is done, you can then fill the holes with a fertilizer that is designed for slow release.
Cover over the stump with soil and leave to slowly die. It will take a few months for the stump to die but this is an environmentally friendly way to kill off the tree stump without harsh chemicals.
Summary
While the tree you chopped down can’t exactly grow back, nature will in its own way try to find a way to survive. Sprouts and small branches may come out of the stump, and suckers might appear. You may even see what looks like a branch growing vertically alongside the stump as one or more of these suckers gets bigger.
There are many essential ways trees benefit your home, but on occasion, they need to be removed. If you are concerned about new shoots growing from your tree stump then you will need to choose the best option to either kill it or remove it.
Tree surgeons are trained and experienced in tree felling, and in stump removal. While killing the stump yourself is perfectly possible, the actual feeling should be left to the professionals.
An arborist trains for years and will be able to advise on any potential issues with your trees. They can also diagnose disease and other problems, and you might find that your tree is saveable and doesn’t need to be cut down.
Click the links below for any posts you have missed:
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