Last week on the blog we explained that, even though a tree looks pitiful and nearly dead, we shouldn't rush to cut it down and replace it. This week, we need to explain why a tree that looks beautifully green and productive needs to be cut down and replaced as soon as possible.
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| A laurel cherry (Prunus caroliniana) is pictured center, completely blending in with its neighbors. On the right side of the frame, we see a non-decaying trunk of a deceased eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) [read more about that individual here]. |
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| After removing the lower branches, we can now see the trunk of the laurel cherry. It is definitely leaning. |
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| It's leaning to the south. |
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| The southward leaning branches were heavy with leaves, and the fruits are numerous. |
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| Laurel cherry trees are handsome evergreen trees and the fruits ripen to blue. Keep in mind that this species is poisonous. |
This is an interesting tree, and other than the lean, it appears to be healthy, so why cut it down? There are three reasons. First, the base of the trunk shows damage, which is a serious health concern. Second, there are several laurel cherry trees in the arboretum collection, and there are undocumented volunteers as well, so even if we cut this one tree down, the species will still have a strong presence in the arboretum. Finally, we have a young laurel cherry growing near the base of the trunk, so we can cut the big tree down and allow the young laurel cherry a chance to thrive. For these reasons, this richly green laurel cherry is on the docket for removal.
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| In this photo, we see that the lower trunk of the laurel cherry is damaged. Also, on the left side of the frame, we can see the young laurel cherry ready to take its place. The young tree has grown up in 100% shade, so if we cut down the older tree all at once, it might be too much of a shock for the little one. So, for today, we started on the gradual process by removing all of the lower branches of the big tree. And in the following months we will steadily remove more branches, slowly exposing the smaller tree to more direct sunlight. |
See previous posts on laurel cherry trees in 2023, and from early 2020 and late 2020.
