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Split trunk question - not a forester

Daver

Daver

PMA Member
I was marking trees this past weekend for an upcoming timber harvest and I had a couple of trees like the one shown below. Because I prefer to keep a fair number of white oaks, I am only taking white oaks where I have others nearby that are also either mature now OR 2/3 of the way there. The one below, well, stumped me, you might say, :)

Do I take out both logs OR I would prefer to let one live on and take out the left leaner, being a conservative, this was an easy choice. :) But can one be successful taking out one side of a shared trunk like this OR is it a take them both or leave them both scenario? Decisions, decisions...any advice is welcome. TIA.

Split trunk oak.jpg
 
Great ?!!!! Few variables would be: are there plenty of other white oaks in area? Is this tree competing with other younger desirable trees? Age & DBH of both stems of that tree….. “looks mature”.
If u take the weaker stem- the other one probably isn’t going to get much larger but it will continue to throw out acorns. That type of tree with a split down below would be considered a negative - giving more credence to taking the whole tree- both stems. Subjective to above but I’ll bet most foresters are apt to take all of it.
 
I got a hunch that if you only take one side, the side you cut is going to rot eventually, weakening that side and the remining side will fall away from the rotted stump.
 
Sligh1 said:
Great ?!!!! Few variables would be: are there plenty of other white oaks in area? Is this tree competing with other younger desirable trees? Age & DBH of both stems of that tree….. “looks mature”.
If u take the weaker stem- the other one probably isn’t going to get much larger but it will continue to throw out acorns. That type of tree with a split down below would be considered a negative - giving more credence to taking the whole tree- both stems. Subjective to above but I’ll bet most foresters are apt to take all of it.
Click to expand...
This is in an area with other white oaks, but, none within say 40-50 yards of this one. Which is why I kind of want to leave one trunk there. I could let the loggers take a side and keep an eye on it and if it struggles then I could take the other side myself at some point in the future. Meanwhile, I would keep get WO acorns there for the forseeable future.
 
I would cut both or leave both. Those duel truck trees actually grow pretty nice stems. I treat them as one tree. It gets cut (completely) or not at all.

As most probably know, that was a previously harvested tree (probably from 50's or 60's) that resprouted.
 
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That tree will likely have been harvested for the second time if you decide to take it. Pretty cool that one root mass can create 2 generations of marketable timber.

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That is likely Regrowth from a
long ago harvest. I went to a IA Dnr forester field day.this question came up one of the foresters said if the union of the 2 trees is wide enough to put your foot on it is strong and leave it. I would agree with the above either leave both or cut both.
 
I think I will not submit for this timber harvest, but watch it and if a problem develops then I will take it down and mill it myself. Thanks for all of the ideas and thoughts.
 
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