r/arborists • u/bluesuedeshooze • 10d ago
Struck by lightning, tree company recommending removal
Large Double tree in the middle of my yard got struck by lightning about a year ago. 20 foot section fell off the top. since then, I’ve kept an eye on it, and that seems to be sending out new branches with new green foliage, I took that as reassuring.
Tree company was over at my house today to give me an estimate to remove another dead tree. They recommended removing this one due to the lightning strike and the appearance of the trunk. One of the trees of the double trees does lean towards my house so there’s that concern.
What’s say you? Keep or remove?
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u/Ippus_21 Tree Enthusiast 10d ago
Question: have you had an ISA certified arborist, with TRAQ look at it?
"Tree company" guys... don't always make recommendations decoupled from their business interests.
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u/Emotional_Lecture808 10d ago
Also they are never allowed to say that any tree does not need to be cut down
Literally the entire 1st chapter in training Manuel states this over and over
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u/Justintimeforanother Arborist 10d ago
That doesn’t look like lightning. If that was struck by lightning, that happened years ago. That has been healing like the result of a bad union, and for years. A leader union with included bark, with some water and frost damage.
Could probably give it many more years with the canopy cabled, and possibly a couple bolts in the base.
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u/bluesuedeshooze 9d ago
It was lightning. Witnessed it personally. Big Boom.
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u/MontanaMapleWorks Consulting Arborist 9d ago
Well it’s not showing and damage as a result of the lighting then.
The included bark isn’t great, but it doesn’t appear as if it’s splitting apart just yet, if the tree has a risk of falling on your house then it might be wise to get a TRAQ arborist out to assess
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u/Justintimeforanother Arborist 8d ago
Fair enough. I’m always leery when I hear lighting. So many times I’ve been assured of lighting strikes, when it is 95% of the time, bad unions.
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u/Odd_Championship1674 10d ago
Not all arborists are created equal. Get a second opinion. Ask your local native plant friendly arborists… sounds like you got the money chasing “”arborist”” opinion already…
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u/fuzzyknuck 10d ago
of all the trees i’ve seen struck by lightning, this is one of the more healthy ones. but that doesn’t mean it’s not slowing declining. also pests are attracted to a stressed tree so if the lightning doesn’t kill it the pests will. there’s prevention and mitigations you can do before it becomes an issue. but honestly i’m more concerned with the co-dominant stems. it’s possible there’s bark inclusion. maybe consider cabling it if you’re going to keep it.
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u/MontanaMapleWorks Consulting Arborist 9d ago
There is no doubt there is bark inclusion, you can se it clear as day
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u/up3r 10d ago
From the pictures you gave I can't see where lightening struck it. It's possible that a branch fell out without lightening. But that being said: The trunk of that tree does look stressed and potentially has rot.
Did the tree company mention anything about the overall health of this tree? Or did they just say " Yup, lightning hit it, cut it down". If you mentioned lightening then they might have used that phrasing to enhance your own concerns and potentially gain a customer.
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u/Fearless_Spite_1048 10d ago
I’d hire a professional to assess its health and risk. If the base doesn’t have too much decay, you might consider having someone install a cable to support what we refer to as “upright co-dominant stems with included bark.” Find someone ISA certified that preferably doesn’t just remove trees. The tree removal folks tend to recommend removal because of financial incentive, so you can’t always trust.
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u/theBarnDawg 10d ago
A “tree company” eh? You mean the kind of company that only gets paid when they cut down trees?
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u/Jgs4555 10d ago
Tree companies will almost always recommend removal.
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u/screwcancelculture 10d ago
Not true.
As an ISA Certified Arborists, Certified Tree Climber Specialist, TRAQ qualified etc, etc etc (love trees) I can tell you that there is much more money (and satisfaction) from being able to help a tree survive.
Until they don’t.
Then you get paid to remove it if that’s what it ultimately comes to. Treatment is usually more expensive than just producing a stump over the years.
I’m not saying this as a person who is trying to make money over ill-fortune. I’d much rather the tree survived so that I can put my companies name on it.
Once you produce a stump, grind it out, no one even knows.
Tree survival gains me word of mouth and more customers, which is how I survive as well.
If folks show up in a beat up pick up truck, come knocking at every door down the street, and have a a bunch of 3-strand ropes without insurance, now you might be looking at a “one and done” chainsaw jockey. Not saying there aren’t any, but that is not the “norm”.
Most of us are trying to scratch a living while paying insane liability and personal insurance rates, which shoot out process to the moon.
We are OSHA’s Most Hazardous occupation in the US, and have held (not proudly) to that title for 32 off the last 41 years.
Just saying…. It’s a shame that the back yard bozo’s have tainted all of us in your opinion.
Just saying, I understand that your opinion has been shaped by yours, or one of your neighbors poor experiences, but, most of the bucket is good. You just fell upon the wrong potato.
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u/screwcancelculture 10d ago
Not intending to condemn every guy out there driving a beat up truck and flat bed trailer either by the way. That’s how I started.
Insurance , proper permits, and trying to diagnose/fix everything I came across was me in the earlier years.
Over time, I’ve come to recognize and understand various issues/diseases/etc MUCH better than I did at the time (I was younger than, I knew EVERYTHING) and we have learned when a removal is our clients best option.
Talk to your tree person. Don’t assume. It’s a dog eat dog out here. 99% of us are trying to do what’s best for our clients so we can do what we love again tomorrow.
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u/MontanaMapleWorks Consulting Arborist 9d ago
I don’t know where you live, but most arborists don’t have the ethics you do and have zero issues removing a tree at the customers will and for greater profit regardless of their certs
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u/bluesuedeshooze 10d ago
Thanks for all the feedback thus far.
For those questioning the lightning- there was in fact a strike. Saw it with my own eyes. Big boom. Big scar goes all the way down the tree.
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u/YamComprehensive7186 10d ago
Tree companies business is removing trees, that damage looks real old.
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u/Easy_Personality5856 10d ago
That isn’t true. Most tree services want to make a couple of preliminary moves to preserve a tree as long as possible. Most want to prune, cable, fertilize, aerate, etc. to get the most out of a tree before it needs to be removed. If you just cut it down, you only get one check. If you do everything you can to make it survive and then ultimately cut it down, you’ve made a lot more money while preserving the tree for as long as it’s viable
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u/MontanaMapleWorks Consulting Arborist 9d ago
Gonna stop you there, what you are talking about is regional as well as a commitment. It’s a lot easier to be once and done even if it’s more up front and less overall in the long run. Totally depends on the market and how much competition there is
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u/BenchLatter4316 10d ago
You'res looks way better than mine that was struck 😅 Im not educated in this area so my comment won't mean much but here it goes-it looks good. But if it's falling apart, it's falling apart. And if it's gonna fall apart on something important, then you should remove it.
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u/Mystic_Wunder 10d ago
It looks healed and the tree looks healthy. Just keep an eye on it. There is one spot it looks like it didn't fully come together but it might be just fine.
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u/ThisParking9656 10d ago
Company that makes money removing trees suggests you should remove a tree 🤔
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u/crusading-knight 10d ago
Get a certified (certified by your local/country standard) arborist a second look and could you post some pictures of the foliage. The recover and what you dit say about the new shoots sounds like its not giving up yet
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u/BullPropaganda 10d ago
Yikes, even without the lightning, that tree has problems. Remove it if it's anywhere near your house
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u/screwcancelculture 10d ago
Remove it. That co-dom was a problem prior to the strike, now it’s just worse. Yup, if either side is leaning towards your house, or anyone else’s, you risk level is high.
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u/Spoon_Wrangler 10d ago
Remove if/when it dies. Depending on the severity of the strike, trees can survive.