Large Trees - Hazards

[whj3773]

[BeanyMalone]

Good luck finding an internet message board that doesn't serve up a heaping helping of personal opinion alongside the information.

The advice to look in a treeless neighborhood if you are have a phobia is partially correct advice. Fully correct advice is move to prairie, because even if you cut down your own trees (seriously, call the city to find out if you can), you can't cut down your neighbor's tree, which they will plant. And, yes, if you move to a treed neighborhood and cut yours down for what will be perceived as a silly reason, you will forever be "that one" to then neighbors. No parks, either, because you also can't cut down the city's trees. Even on a lot with a lot of room, the tree down the street (or a mile away) (not to mention cars, roofs, swing sets, garden hoes, and all the other detritus of life) can become a ballistic missile in a tornado.

In 30 years of living on and off in Dallas, I recall reading about exactly one person killed by a falling limb. And that happened without a tornado, or wind or an ice storm. A cottonwood limb fell on a child, just because cottonwood trees are weak and when they get old they shed branches. They are really not suitable for city planting. But people have them. So if the prairie isn't an option, maybe avoid neighborhoods with cottonwoods (and silver maples, if someone was daft enough to one).

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by whj3773

yaaaa.....this is why i wouldnt want to live under a giant tree in dallas, this was from may

i guess i am really trying to get information on, not personal opinions about whether i should be worried or not, is...

if i bought a house in dallas or richardson and wanted to either remove a large tree or trim it way back would i run into any hurdles?

Originally Posted by whj3773

lol Murphy - that is my biggest fear, that i took down a huge tree the neighbors would be pissed at me. When it comes down to it, i rather not be crushed by a 2 ton "frightening" tree while sleeping in my bed

ROFL

I'm sorry, but this is just hilarious.

I myself suffer from a common phobia: a fear of flying. It's completely irrational but I have tried hard to beat it over the years and have been unsuccessful. Luckily, it's one that's easy to manage with complete avoidance. I just don't fly anywhere. I don't get to travel, but I can live with that for now.

As for your irrational fear...consider living out in the country where there's still virgin prairie (treeless) or out in a sterile exurb with tiny wuss trees.

If you moved in next door to me and cut down all the healthy trees on your property, I'd think you had a screw loose. Your immediate neighbors would probably not even talk to you. Word would get around, and you'd be "that guy." Don't be "that guy."

If you're afraid of mature trees, don't live in an area with mature trees. Leave them intact for those of us who aren't afraid of big bad trees. Seriously.

[4Movingeast]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

ROFL

I'm sorry, but this is just hilarious.

I myself suffer from a common phobia: a fear of flying. It's completely irrational but I have tried hard to beat it over the years and have been unsuccessful. Luckily, it's one that's easy to manage with complete avoidance. I just don't fly anywhere. I don't get to travel, but I can live with that for now.

As for your irrational fear...consider living out in the country where there's still virgin prairie (treeless) or out in a sterile exurb with tiny wuss trees.

If you moved in next door to me and cut down all the healthy trees on your property, I'd think you had a screw loose. Your immediate neighbors would probably not even talk to you. Word would get around, and you'd be "that guy." Don't be "that guy."

If you're afraid of mature trees, don't live in an area with mature trees. Leave them intact for those of us who aren't afraid of big bad trees. Seriously.

+1

Trees are a HUGE deal to us and believe me, there are plenty of neighborhoods with the master planned, treeless, wide lane, bright shiny precious features you need. Please look for a home there. Please leave the gorgeous, old, LIVING trees for those of us that appreciate them.

HOAs many times protect trees and in my neighborhood, people will really start sniffing around if they think there are plans to fell trees over a certain circumference.

Additionally, there are certain breeds of trees that are better quality and don't present as big of a risk for homeowner issues. Oak and elm are 2 great trees to have; hackberry not so much. That being said, trees have to be maintained and trimming should take place while dormant NOT in a growing season. So many people don't take the time to simply read up a little bit and educate themselves and then get all undone when a limb that should have been pruned years ago falls on a car or power line when ice weighs it down.

PLEASE do some research before you clear cut your lot!

[SVTRay]

You guys are blowing this out of per portion a little. The OP is only asking about trees and or branches in a close proximity to a home. Their not talking about clearing the entire lot.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by SVTRay

You guys are blowing this out of per portion a little. The OP is only asking about trees and or branches in a close proximity to a home. Their not talking about clearing the entire lot.

He asked about "cutting down" and if he's talking about a .25 acre lot which is common around here, any of the mature trees on my lot are tall enough to hit the house if they fall in the right direction.

I'll tell you what though; the most annoying thing about my two large mature pecan trees is how squirrels get all the pecans before I do and they bury them all over the yard, making baby pecan trees everywhere. THAT is what annoys me enough to consider cutting down those trees. I don't worry about them hitting the house. They're just a nuisance!!!!!!

[4Movingeast]

if i bought a house in dallas or richardson and wanted to either remove a large tree or trim it way back would i run into any hurdles?[/quote]

OP clearly asked about tree removal, which in the case of a hackberry tree I would support, and in the case a of an oak varietal or elm would make me sad. Can't speak to others motivations; I was simply trying to show OP there is a way to live with and appreciate big trees without having scary home accidents related to them.

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

He asked about "cutting down" and if he's talking about a .25 acre lot which is common around here, any of the mature trees on my lot are tall enough to hit the house if they fall in the right direction.

This is true, especially if the OP is talking about a larger home. We have 3 mature trees (4th tree died) with neither being close enough to do any real damage but it's a smaller multilevel home. A large home, say 4,000-5,000 will take up most of the lot putting any mature tree within reach of the home should it be uprooted.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by SVTRay

This is true, especially if the OP is talking about a larger home. We have 3 mature trees (4th tree died) with neither being close enough to do any real damage but it's a smaller multilevel home. A large home, say 4,000-5,000 will take up most of the lot putting any mature tree within reach of the home should it be uprooted.

There are things you can do to cut the risk of a tree being uprooted; if you keep the crown trimmed appropriately, there's less of a "sail" for the wind to cut into, especially on really tall trees with a long trunk that acts like a lever with the force of the wind through the "sail" of the crown tugging at the root structure at the bottom. It's that effect that forces the tree down.

If you see a tree on your property with mushrooms growing on the trunk or around the roots, that's an indicator that it might uproot or break in a storm. Ditto for if you see cracks in the soil around the root structure after a storm; that indicates movement of the root structure due to shifting in the wind.

If the OP is THAT worried, they can have an expert arborist inspect the property's trees to assess their general health and try to give a general picture of the risk of any of the trees toppling. Sometimes it's possible to predict what direction the tree might topple given any existing weight imbalance/leaning and prevailing winds. But it's not an exact science.

Just coming in and clear-cutting is NOT the answer.