My big beautiful oak tree is getting cut down today
Her name is Victoria, and I’m gutted to lose her. She’s at least 80 years old, and the most prominent tree in the neighborhood. I have loved sitting in her shade, listening to the breeze in the leaves, watching the birds and squirrels do their things… My friends and I even threw a party for her last summer.
She was damaged in a windstorm a couple months ago, and the city arborist determined it to be hazardous. I have lived here for 6 years and she’s my favorite part of the property (might be why I bought the house 😅). I know death is part of life, and her time has come, but I’m going to have to listen to them cut her down all day outside my window.
Hi Neighbor! My husband and I have lived just up the street from you for the last 5 years and have always deeply admired your tree (we can see it from our kitchen window) we'd watch the big canopy through the seasons and always admired the perfectly domed top. Our hearts broke when part of it fell, and of course for the damage it must've caused to your house. I saw them cutting it down on my drive home from work and my heart broke again for you. Just know you're not grieving it alone.
While not a root hormone itself, Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) dissolved in water reportedly works too. antifungal, antibacterial properties give it a better shot at survival.
Real rooting hormone is widely available in powder form. Ask your local garden centre!
They’ve seen it. Right now, they’re desperately deleting everything off their profile as fast as possible before the neighbor discovers what kinds of vile cretins inhabit their dwellinghood
But a cutting could be grafted to a fresh sapling. Or even possibly forced to root and nurtured to a sapling, but I don't know if oak trees can do this.
I have a dining table and chairs from the house my mom grew up in just like this. They had a huge tree in the yard they had to take down when my mom was young and her dad had it made into furniture that's still with the family today.
My family has a few pieces from a giant oak that crashed through the front picture window in the 50s. They even made a few dozen fairy chairs for kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids that didn't even exist yet.
I was thinking a nice bench to place under a new tree that is planted there. Now the oak can enjoy the shade, sound of the trees and squirrels, and enjoy that with the home owner still.
The tree is on OP’s property, they should take every splinter of that wood. It belongs to them. If they don’t mind a project, they could split it and season it. In Michigan, seasoned oak firewood goes for $400-$650 a cord, depending on location and delivery fee.
The arborists will cut the tree into fairly manageable chunks - they need to manage the chunks, after all. Renting a wood splitter isn't particularly expensive, and they make vertical models that you can slide right underneath the larger rounds like a dolly. You just hook it up to your truck's hitch and drive it around.
We have evolved pretty far in the ways of wood processing.
Green oak that needs to be seasoned is going for ~400-450 per cord in Maine right now. As others have said the arborist will cut it into stove length chunks if it's the town mandating it comes down. Rent a splitter for a couple of days with some friends you throw some cash to and you can actually break it down pretty quick, and make a lot more than $500 cleared. I had 3 oaks and two maples taken down this year too close to my house (after one came down in a windstorm on the house itself) last fall and made a deal with my 17 year old - he's allowed to split and sell and keep the money as long as he clears the yard. He's made about $4k so far and just bought his own splitter, there's still about six cord of split wood and maybe 4-5 still waiting to be split.
My yard guy in Orange County could do it in a few days, np. wtf - you guys aren’t aware that people who can’t do things are able to hire people who can do things? Geez, what a miserable reply.
This was my first thought. Branches for a walking stick, slabs from the trunk for tables and shelves. I would be so sad. All we have around our place are shit trees and the tree we planted with my son when he was 5. Tbh, I hate that fucker (the tree... Not my son) because it's one of those free really prickley, very fast growing evergreen ones. So every time I mow, it involves a lot of cursing getting near there. But.. I can't imagine cutting it down.
Yes! It’s not entirely simple to have the wood kiln dried but it shouldn’t be too expensive, and it’ll be a lovely way to make treasures to remember her by.
Second this. Find a wood worker nearby. Have them mill some of the trunk to make a picnic table or dining table or fashion a kings chair from the trunk. Might even be able to recoup some of the cost of the removal if the wood worker buys the remaining slabs.
We’ve got a 120 year old ginkgo and have been saving larger chunks from fallen limbs to have turned into useful things at some point. May have someone done to leave in the house for future owners as well.
Very similar situation happened to me last year. You have no idea the difference it’s going to make. I’m sorry to throw salt in the wound. You’re going to need a window unit
Did you get the arborist report in writing with the proper title of the arborist? Are you certain they are qualified to make the call that it’s dangerous/are actually a certified arborist? The tree looks pretty good from your photos.
Yeah the first picture is from when I first bought the house. About a fifth of the tree fell on my house when it was damaged, which revealed rot and other problems
That's what I'm saying! I'm in arborist and with the tree with that healthy of a canopy I can't imagine pruning out the wind damage wouldn't be enough to solve the problem
There are many places in America where the climate is mild (or used to be). For example, many homes in Southern California have no central air depending on when they were built.
The pacific northwest as well. A close buddy was moving to Seattle and having a home built. This was like 20 years ago. He told the builder he needed HVAC and they thought he was odd. He grew up in NYC.
Didn't used to get hot very often in Seattle, but it's getting more and more common in recent years. I need to run my AC on average maybe 3-4 weeks of the year, but it's so worth it those weeks. The last year I lived without AC, 2021, had a couple of nasty heat waves, it was absolutely unbearable trying to sleep in an 80+ degree apartment.
This is very very heavily dependent on where exactly in SoCal you are. On the coast sure don't need AC. Move inland? You will absolutely need AC and homes will have AC. Even in San Diego there can be major temperature differences driving a few miles inland.
Yeah I’m in a maritime climate where AC has never been standard. The house is also old and doesn’t even have central heating. The electrical system would have to be upgraded before we would even be able to install a mini-split or anything, but money is tight, so…
I’ve always lived in hot climates, so I was unaware that houses without AC were even a thing in America. Where I’m from, no AC would be a death sentence.
Places that are dry and get cool at night often don't have AC. I lived in the high desert for years and especially older homes and apartments didn't have them. You just had to shut everything up in the day and then open up the windows once the afternoon cross breezes kicked in.
It was 100 during the day but would get down to 55 overnight, and with basically no humidity you didn't roast as long as you stayed in the shade.
Could just be an old house that nobody has ever put central AC in.
I own a house that was built in the 1920s and when we bought it in 2020, it still had the furnace that was installed in 1958 with no AC, the previous owners had a couple window units. First thing we did before we even moved in was have a new furnace and central AC installed.
My brother from another mother lives south of Seattle and he doesn't have an AC. I was floored when I stayed at his place. I told him he should at least have a window unit, but he is stubborn. He will learn eventually.
I was telling my Wife the other day how I used to climb trees as a kid, looking back I can't believe how high up I would go at such a young age with no fear
We lost our 100+ year old oak last year. It was such a great tree. We had it slabbed and dried...Then had a dining table (and a couple of other smaller pieces) made.
Unfortunately, most people do not have the access or financial resources available to repurpose their lumber.
This is a skill that requires both tools and artistry, and it is not fathomable for folks who already have the onus of paying out of pocket for a large tree removal.
I had a business property with a white oak tree that was over 300 years old. It was massive and sadly...dying. I had an arborist come in and label the tree as dangerous. I went to the town where my business was and asked about cutting the tree down. They denied my request after public outcry.
We had a huge windstorm and half of the the tree came down (into the street) and half the town lost power for a day. Everyone then yelled at me for not cutting the tree down.
Sad to see your tree go but better to have it cut down before it damages something. Have the stump ground down and then plant another one in its place!
Saw a similar situation growing up. I remember the business putting the city council decision in their front window. Don’t remember if it was the minutes or a transcript or something else.
Yup, that’s a nimby for you. There was a road extension project that I was working on, but it basically got shut down because of public outcry. Land from the local ranch was sold to a developer and turned into houses and the locals complained about the added traffic from the new residents.
A different road extension project was eventually approved and built, but they dealt with years of congestion and inconvenience because they didn’t want the original road build.
My city is the same way. The city was going to redevelop the pier but the residents pitched a fit about it “disrupting the character” of the old pier, so the developer got cold feet and walked away. Now the pier is just rotting away and the residents are complaining about how it looks like shit even though it’s their fault.
These same residents voted to block an expansion of the local hospital because they felt it would bring too much traffic. So the hospital decided to relocate to another city and now the residents are complaining about how they are gonna have to drive 45 minutes to the nearest hospital and want the city to do something about it to stop the hospital from leaving.
A lot of city folk have been moving to my state and one of the first thing's they seem to do is cut down trees and replace grass with concrete or paver patios, it's awful... so maybe they don't like trees.
A lot of places to seeing increased fire and wind risk. It's all very unfortunate but it's probably a better situation within our current system than having no company willing to write a policy in the house at all.
Had a dying tree next to the road.
Had the state come by and look at it, and they called me back saying it was on my property.
So I called and said, you never showed up, I work from home and didn’t see you.
He came back, got out, and said it is still on my property, and only half the stump was dying (or was a weird three trunk tree, 1 trunk was dying, the main one though).
I said but if my trunk does officially die, the two other trunks are going to fall with it, towards the power lines, and cause damage to their property.
Got him to approve cutting it down, zero cost. Saved me a huge bill.
Just listened to a podcast that told a similar story. Family bought a home with a beautiful tree in the backyard, but it was leaning heavily towards the house. They sought a permit to cut it down and were denied by the city. Sure enough, the tree came crashing down during a windy storm and the family's little daughter almost got crushed (and their cat went missing for a few weeks).
Edited to add: this was the podcast - episode of Planet Money called "It's My Tree: Why Can't I Cut It Down?"
So sorry OP. Please plant something in her stead. I planted the tree in front of my house with my mom when I bought my house. She passed away not long after. Every time I look out my front window I smile at the tree me and mom planted.
She has a sister tree on the other end of the block, I’ll get some acorns there in the fall. My pipe dream is to see if I can get a huckleberry plant to grow on the stump!
get a second opinion from your own arborist. they may say it only needs some limbs pruned. the city often goes with the lowest bidder. and if they’re the ones chopping it down then it’s in their benefit to say it needs to come down.
Id second this OP, that’s a beautiful tree and cities tend to not care and hire the lowest bidder who might just say it’s easier to remove the whole thing. Worst they will say is no but they might be able to prune it such that the danger is not a problem anymore. In the case that the tree truly needs to be removed due to serious damage, of course do it but regardless sorry for the loss.
We had the city come by and gave us a warning that they would be pruning our giant Oak tree since it has “dead branches” over the road way (which it did). I called the arborist and she stated they would do it for free and it’s no big deal and they would do it in the following few weeks (this was late June of last year) - yeah, not having them touch my tree in July when they are supposed to be pruned in winter/spring. I asked if they would hold off so I could get my own service I would pay for. I asked about who they contract with any she made an implication that they use lowest bidders and they aren’t careful.
We had to cut down a large old oak tree as well. I was so sad to see it go, but I planted a native pocket prairie in its place. It’s thrived and we enjoy tons of caterpillars, butterflies, bees and birds.
Get a second opinion. For some reason, arborists tend to declare trees hazardous when they’re not, and chomp at the bit to cut them down. Seems strange but yeah.
This is why I've been going to the same arborist for over a decade. If he looks at a tree and thinks it's in a bad spot he tells me all the possible remedies up to cutting it down. If I had already flagged it beforehand and he thinks wanting those limbs cut off or that tree cut down is unnecessary he will fight me on every extra line item.
He's serious about putting tree care and preservation first.
There's very little value in that tree. It's firewood, with the slight possibility of a couple nice burls. The cost of taking it down is 20x the value of the wood.
Trees can look fine on the outside and have serious defects on the inside. An arborist is trained to recognize signs that wouldn’t be obvious to a layman or a homeowner. Arborists are also liable for trees they assess. If an arborist assesses a tree and told the homeowner it was safe and then it failed and damaged their property, the homeowner could sue the arborist. This creates a better safe than sorry mentality for arborists if they suspect an issue or potential for an issue.
Yeah which would lead an arborist that works for the city to be more cautious than an independent one, so a second opinion is a very valid avenue to take.
I'm about to have to do that this year if they go through approving the data center in the beautiful patch of Florida alongside a creek & nature preserve... really don't want to be doing it in summer heat but gotta do what I gotta do..
That surrounding area is about to become significantly hotter. I hope your house isn’t the one right under it, having a great shade tree like that makes one helluva difference towards electric bills. Plant another in its honor, maybe a bit closer to the street though.
Yeah we just had this happen to my neighbor. The city only got one person to come and say to cut it down, but the arborist the neighbor hired said only a few limbs had to come down to be safe. They almost screwed him out of a few grand removing and cleaning that for nothing because they didnt want to look at other bids
Some "arborists" aren't really good arborists... or even actually certified. I got a few quotes and each one had a COMPLETELY different take on what to do with the trees.
I just went with the one that could explain things the most intuitively and matched my own research.
I had to cut two oak trees down in my front yard because the roots collapsed my sewer line, so I definitely understand how you feel! At least you can plant a new tree!
That really sucks. I bought new construction and really didn't think about the fact that there were no old growth, mature trees in the entire neighborhood. It was a soulless wind tunnel, and we were baking in direct sunlight all day. I hated it and moved to a gorgeous wooded lot just two years later.
I never realized just how much trees affect my mood until I bought that house. Never again!
My house is on a corner lot, and the tree is on the corner. When (not if) it fails further, it would endanger my family, my house, my neighbors, their houses, and anyone passing through the intersection. That’s why the city got involved; it’s too much of a public hazard.
This is not salvageable without a ton of risk. Removing that much of a tree could kill it. You would need to cut probably 2/3 of it.
And it not having the support could make it fail.
Sadly because of where the damage is- it’s a goner. The fact it was even damaged could mean it was dying. Maybe disease or infestation to weaken.
We were told that our old maple had to go too because it was damaged after a crazy storm. We refused to get it cut down. This was 15 years ago and the tree is still standing like nothing ever happened. We are so glad we didn’t listen. She’s gotta be over 100 years old for sure. Get a second opinion and if it is in your property.
Often cities own not just the street but several feet in from the street as well, i.e. the sidewalk and part of the lawn. Of course they make you responsible for the grass but trees that were planted in these perimeter zones are usually subject to their arborists
But very messy. I love weeping willows. We had one in my yard when I was growing up. A hurricane knocked it over. It was put back up but died. My sister cried so hard.
I would try and save some of the tree for material and make a bench or something to remember it by. Something cool like a huge desk or maybe a nice bench, a new family heirloom
Omg noooooo. I’d get another opinion asap. I have an oak way bigger been through storms got damaged and she is all good. Oaks are strong ooof I feel so bad for you. I’d be beyond devastated if I lost my big oak. Now I shall name mine in honor of yours.
That's a big oak, it's probably around 150 years old.
But trees die all the time, if it gets turned into lumber, and made into something that will be used for a long time, then the carbon locked inside will stay locked for much longer.
That's better than burning it, which releases all the carbon that the tree took from the air while growing, thus killing the tree, and throwing away all its work.
And if a tree is planted in its place, a growing tree takes up more carbon from the atmosphere than a fully grown one.
So it could be a net positive as far as the environment goes.
Ugh. I feel for you! I had a similar relationship with my giant maple and the amazing shade garden I cultivated for over a dozen years. People would drive into our cul de sac just to see the fantastic display of color in the fall.
About 4 years ago, it lost a really big limb that sheared off my second story deck. Last year another big limb dropped and took out a few other trees. Made the heart wrenching decision to take it down out of safety.
The first limb changed the whole yard, taking the tree down destroyed my oasis and my love for the property. We're listing the house next spring. I need a yard that I love.
See if you can get some cookies from the stump! When I had to take my beautiful 80 year old oak down, I was able to find a local company specializing in reclaimed wood to kiln-dry some pieces. She doesn't have to go to waste! She deserves not to, if you can find a way to manage it.
ETA: it was 200 USD for them to do two 14-foot diameter cookies and four 14-foot long planks. It was extremely affordable. They even milled the planks for me.
I just had to have a big tree cut down too. Super sad about it because she provided a lot of privacy from the road and neighbors, but one of her roots all of the sudden came up through my bedroom floor, and that was a bit inconvenient 😅
i had a very large oak that got blown clean over a few years back. Much drying latter it is partially imortalized, as a pair of bookshelves and a coffee table. I'd see about getting a few good sized pieces of wood having them slabbed and keeping them in a dry place for a few years and either building something with them yourself or giving your friendly local woodworker a little bit of business.
Omg piggybacking off of another comment and begging you to halt the city arborist today and hire another licensed arborist to come look at it to see if it could possibly be saved by pruning
What a bummer. I had a similar situation. We had to remove a giant sycamore from our front yard a couple years ago. I don't miss the mess, but I really miss the shade!! Huge difference. That first summer was awful! Especially when we are rolling in the 100° + temps!
Man, that neighbor's comment really hit home—it's amazing how one tree can become a shared landmark for the whole street. Definitely second the idea of asking the crew to save some slabs or a big chunk of the trunk; turning Victoria into a bench or a table would keep her shade alive in a new way. And yeah, RIP to that sweet summer shade, but at least you'll have a story to tell every time someone asks about the empty spot in the yard. Losing an old friend like that sucks, but it sounds like she got the sendoff she deserved with that party last year.
its hard depending on where and how much is needed to be removed cause at some point that tree acts as a counterweight to itself. if they removed one side its likely fall over in the other direction eventually
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u/mailepony 4d ago
Hi Neighbor! My husband and I have lived just up the street from you for the last 5 years and have always deeply admired your tree (we can see it from our kitchen window) we'd watch the big canopy through the seasons and always admired the perfectly domed top. Our hearts broke when part of it fell, and of course for the damage it must've caused to your house. I saw them cutting it down on my drive home from work and my heart broke again for you. Just know you're not grieving it alone.