Tree Damage

An unfortunate result of the excavation and front mud pile is that the Excavator and the tree came into too close of a proximity. The upper arm extension hit the main branches a few times, and with enough force that it cracked two of the main branches on the front American Elm tree.


The image below is a close up of the damage that was done at the crux of the branches.

The removal of the mud pile also scraped the top protective earth and bark from the main tree roots. Hopefully the damage isn't severe enough to shock the tree and that it had already started going into hibernation for the winter. We quickly covered the exposed roots with topsoil and then thankfully the snow came the next day which should mitigate some of the damage.

The two branches that had been cracked need to be removed back to the trunk. Hopefully this will not unbalance the canopy and will allow the tree to recover over the next few monthes. The arborist from ASAP Tree Services is concerened - the tree has a 50 / 50 survival rate. We will need to ensure that the roots are protected in the Spring and that no further damage is done.