I built a wood stack around a living tree. Will it draw insects and kill the tree?
AKB: Arborists. ADVICE NEEDED.
- Thread starter demlion
- Start date
I am no arborist but I think you may be encouraging insects, and/or rodents, that can damage the tree. I also wonder if moisture will build up against the trunk causing rot. I would also be concerned that the weight of the stack will damage the roots.
More likely to attract Copperheads and kill you
Worst green thumb you ever saw. 3 of the 4 trees I planted in our yard when we moved into our current house have died. Having said that I can’t think stacking wood under and around the trunk would be a good idea. Insects, lack of sun, disease from the other wood types?
Pretty sure the bark needs to breathe!
Be honest -you built this to keep your boat trailer from getting caught on low hanging branches.
Of course the breeze and verticals from heat and cooling go right through the stack, as does rain. Others mentioned insects, but I build these stacks next to living trees all the time, and the living trees are not infested.
Haa! If that were so, I would already be long dead. I have 8 or 10 of these on the property at all times, just not built around trees.
Bingo. Mice, chipmunks, squirrels, and more will nest in the stack, bringing in grasses, leaves, and more. That will encourage fungus, molds, insects, and more. The animals may also chew on the bark. Not good for the tree.
And a stacked circle will not have as good air circulation as straight stack. More disease issues.
All those critters live in the other stacks NEXT to live trees. No bark chewing.
I bet about now he's thinking to himself... "I wish I asked this question before I stacked the wood around the tree."
That will promote girdling yes. I wouldnt do that without at least a few inches of air
Dem, it appears you are seeking support for what you have already done and are not getting it. I can't blame you for trying because moving that wood stack will be a major pain in the arse. Perhaps an arborist will chime in, but I suspect if they agreed it was a bad idea, you would seek a second opinion.
I don't see much of a problem, if you're going to be taking it away for burning in the next year. The insects that come after cut wood are different than the insects coming after live trees. Powder post beetle is about the worst you'll find and they come after the dead wood. You'll see piles of sawdust if you have them.
The problem you might have is if you barked the tree. If you did it in the spring when the sap starts flowing, the bark can sluff off pretty quick. That allows rot and insects to come into the open wound.
I would think you'll do less damage than banging that tree with your mower or hitting the bark with your string trimmer.
The problem you might have is if you barked the tree. If you did it in the spring when the sap starts flowing, the bark can sluff off pretty quick. That allows rot and insects to come into the open wound.
I would think you'll do less damage than banging that tree with your mower or hitting the bark with your string trimmer.
I dont care if it will 100% GUARANTEED kill the tree, I ain't moving it.Dem, it appears you are seeking support for what you have already done and are not getting it. I can't blame you for trying because moving that wood stack will be a major pain in the arse. Perhaps an arborist will chime in, but I suspect if they agreed it was a bad idea, you would seek a second opinion.
I checked with a couple guys who have a fair bit of experience with trees. They did not know, but said they did not think it would harm the tree much. Then once I did it, all of a sudden everybody else thinks it's no good.
I guess we shall see!
Probably not, but when you light the fire it could affect the tree. Question, are you sure the stacked wood is deep enough to protect against vehicle bumpers?
Powder post beetles find their way to every stack, sooner or later, at my place. We were pretty careful not to damage the bark. It is a wild shagbark hickory which was growing here when we built the house in 97.
Nay. He spells his last name wrong.Larry, are you the same Shultz that creates the Peanuts cartoons?
Well, I did. But mice, chipmunks, squirrels, etc are in ALL the stacks. Where I live is not a suburb. It is the woods. All the animals are here.
And here is another shocker. I have 60 ACRES of trees here. The animals do not chew on the bark of the trees. It's not a f#cking beaver colony lol.
I was actually envisioning another scenario that had nothing to do with animals and didn't translate well in my post.Well, I did. But mice, chipmunks, squirrels, etc are in ALL the stacks. Where I live is not a suburb. It is the woods. All the animals are here.
And here is another shocker. I have 60 ACRES of trees here. The animals do not chew on the bark of the trees. It's not a f#cking beaver colony lol.
I envisioned you sweating your a$$ off for several hours stacking the wood (hard labor). Then, you grab a nice big glass of iced tea, sit down on the rocker on the shaded porch, staring at your work, and the question enters your mind "I wonder if that will kill the tree, maybe I should ask the experts on the BWI board".
After seeing the responses, it occurs to you in order to save the tree, you are going to have to unstack and restack the pile elsewhere. "Damn - there's another couple of hours of back-breaking work."
Oh well...best of luck to you whatever you decide.
It was more idle curiosity than anything, cuz as I told fair,I ain't moving that stack until it goes to the woodstove, earliest fall of 2021. If the tree dies its going in the woodstove, too. I got one guy in this thread who's a forester (Gump), and he says not likely to be problem, which is what some timbercutters told me before I did it.
No biggie either way.
and there's always the chance lightning will strike the tree and make a helluva candle!
I don't know about insects, but anytime you do anything within the drip line of a tree can be harmful to the tree. In this case adding the weight of that wood can compact the ground and impact the roots (depending on the root structure of the tree). The stack can also impact the water flow to the roots, you may have sentenced that poor tree to a long slow death.
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Cool. While I was at PSU I roomed with a horticulture major and he’d give lectures on the trees we’d pass while walkIng to town. I don’t remember any specifics but he did love his trees.
Now we are getting down to it. I WILL be leaving it there until fall 2021, but i suppose I could change it if it looks like the tree is impacted. This is just outside my driveway, downhill from the house, and the driveway water flows right to it. These were all the same concerns I heard from the timbercutters I spoke with ahead of time, so it should be fairly obvious this fall (if the leaves drop early) or next spring (if the new growth is late or otherwise retarded).
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I had a buddy who was a Horticulture major. He was the best Hackey-Sack player ever and, he also had the best weed!
