Tree cutting guys, I need your opinion

We have this tree right on our property line that is rotted all the way through. It is leaning towards our kennels where the dogs stay during the day. My Husband wants to wait until next winter to cut it down. His Dad says no, it should come down now. What do you guys think? It would have to be done before long, the farmer has alfalfa there and would not want us dropping a tree on his crop.


My helper needed a break...

 

Looks like kids play right there-- I would take it down before the spring storms make it extremely dangerous.

 

Better sooner than later.

 

We would have my FIL help, he has been doing it since he was a teen. I may have to give the farmer a call and just set it up. First I need to get the hubby to agree though...

 

Shame the crown looks nice and healthy but those two rotten spots are a sure sign it's only a matter of time. You guys get plenty of wind out there right? I'd get it on the ground where you want it first, before it decides where it wants to go on it's own.

 

Hubby still says it can wait. I guess I need to talk to my father in law myself. He is experienced with this stuff and if he thinks it needs to go then I agree with him. My stubborn husband says "box elder isn't going anywhere, they are tough trees"

 

Yes we do get a lot of wind. This tree took a beating last summer when a bad storm came through. I cannot believe how bad it got since then. My husband says we will replace it with a maple, next year...

 

Thanks, I didn't know that. My sister owns her own woodworking business and makes a lot of signs. I'm guessing that would look pretty cool as a sign.

Otherwise it would just be used for bonfires. My FIL burns wood but is very choosy about what he burns.

 

Better to err on the safe side. (Risk assessment time )
If you think it's dangerous, I'd say the sooner the better.

Stops all the worrying & it won't be an "I told you so" .

Besides; we need some good pictures of the whole process

 

Every tree is eventually going to fall. That tree looks bad and it should be taken down. A hollow tree like that is unpredictable. The forked tops and twisted grain make it worse. I wouldn't touch it. Hire somebody and enjoy watching them take the risk.

 

Hollowed out and isolated would have me on the side of caution.

 

Why does he want to wait? It's hard to provide counterarguments to "I don't wanna."

 

I would say, move the kennel and play yard if you want the tree to stand. Or cut it down. He knows it has to go. Waiting only means taking a risk, avoidable.

 

He says that the ground is too soft right now and the farmer won't like it. He thinks it will tear the field up too much. Our back yard is not accessible unless you go through the fields. We have big cedar trees on one end and a steep ditch on the other. He is worried about hauling some of the wood away and wants to be able to drive the truck back there.

He is also worried about shade for the dogs while we are at work during the day.

I am more worried that it's going to fall and damage the swing set or worse yet our dogs or kids are in the way when it goes.

 

I'd put it down and get it into the yard out of the field and then worry about getting it out later. Get a tarp and give the dogs shade before they're buried in that twisted mess.

 

Thanks for all the opinions guys, I talked to the farmer tonight. He agreed to us cutting it but isn't too happy about it. I will be setting it up with my FIL, my Husband will not be happy but he will get over it. I will buy a new autumn blaze maple and have it waiting for him, that will help

 

That looks exactly like one my brother had in his front yard, all twisted and rotten, it could fall next week or in ten years. His came down in a wind storm and hit the house, took out the gutter and ripped the siding.

 

That tree sitting out there is susceptible to wind could go any which way No matter how it's leaning, Especially with foliage on it