The death of a once majestic tree is often followed by the sound of a buzzing chain saw cutting it into pieces. That’s what happened when a tree died in Len Kamp’s yard, but he found an innovative way to salvage it.
“It was this big oak tree,” he recalled. “I was wondering what I could do with it.”
Kamp, who lives on a wooded, one-acre lot in rural Homer Township, contacted Scott Cochrane, a local artist who creates art from trees with a chain saw.
Yielding a chain saw as deftly as others would a paint brush, Cochrane sawed the dead tree, which still had a solid part, into a yard sculpture.
At about 150 years old, Kamp’s oak tree had lived as long as one might expect. Although a tree’s life expectancy is longer than a human’s, there are variety of hazards that can cut it short. A well-publicized hazard recently came in the form of the Asian longhorn beetle, which was discovered infesting trees in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood.
Be it beetles or thunderbolts that strike trees, there are ways to help a tree stay as healthy as possible.
“Trees are just like people. They are living, breathing organisms,” said George Baird of Kramer Tree Specialists in West Chicago.
“They will die of old age,” he added. “but by treating, trimming and fertilizing them, you can help maintain a tree’s life for many years.”
The first step toward maintaining a tree’s health is inspecting it, said Doris Taylor, a plant information specialist at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.
“We recommend that people do this (inspect) all the time,” Taylor said. “A lot of times, you can catch something early and it will take fewer procedures to correct it.”
For people who have questions about tree and plant care, the Arboretum offers a plant clinic. About 10,000 people last year called with questions about caring for trees, shrubs and plants.
Baird also recommends that people keep an eye out for changes in their trees’ appearance. There are myriad things to look for, he said.
“Is the tree split or cracked?” he asked. “Is it encroaching on the house? Are branches rubbing against each other? Is it too low to the ground? Are there mushrooms or fungus growing on it?”
A fungus, he said, may indicate a health problem because a fungus feeds on decayed areas. Branches that rub against each other may weaken a limb, which will come crashing down with a gust of strong wind or snowstorm.
“It doesn’t take a trained eye to recognize some of the obvious factors of why you would want to trim a tree,” Baird said.
The best time to prune a tree is when it is dormant.
“It’s a good time of year to prune because there aren’t any leaves,” Taylor said. “You can see the natural shape of the tree. And you can see any broken branches.”
In the Chicago area, in particular, it is important not to prune oak or elm trees in the spring or summer.
“The insects that carry oak wilt and Dutch elm disease can go into the open wounds (created by pruning),” Taylor said. “It’s best to hold off until those insects are not around.”
The best time to prune a flowering tree, such as a crab apple, horse chestnut or magnolia, is after they flower, said Gregory Haston. He is district manager for Hendricksen, the Care of Trees, which has offices throughout the Chicago area.
Although it is not a health factor for the tree, Haston said people who prune such trees before they flower may cut off buds that would result in beautiful blooms.
People who take on the task of pruning a tree themselves should keep safety foremost in their minds.
“For basic pruning, most of the time homeowners can do it themselves,” Taylor said.
As a general rule, she noted, a homeowner can handle the project, “if it can be done with a handsaw and if you don’t have to climb into a tree to cut it.”
Unfortunately, “we’ve heard of people cutting the limb they were climbing on, sort of like in a cartoon,” said Haston.
For a problem that requires more expertise or knowledge than a homeowner usually has, Taylor recommends hiring a certified arborist.
“It’s someone who is licensed. It’s not just some Joe Schmo with a chain saw,” she said. The International Society of Arboriculture, which is headquartered in Savoy, Ill., is a non-profit professional association that has certified 738 arborists in Illinois.
Baird, who is a certified arborist, had the expertise to diagnose the problem that was affecting some of the 15 oak trees in Mary Jo Eaton’s yard.
The Glen Ellyn resident noticed leaves falling from her trees at an unlikely time of year, July. The problem was discovered to be a fungus, which Baird is treating with fertilization.
Eaton said she is hoping that the trees, which have shaded her house since it was built in 1952, will survive.
“When they have to cut the trees down, it’s like losing a relative or friend,” she said.
Cutting a tree down may be the last resort, but Gregory Grimm, owner of Grimm Landscaping Co. in Homer Township, said there are ways that people make the best of a bad situation.
“Some people who live in a natural environment, cut off the limbs and leave the tree as a wild life habitat,” he said. “Some will cut the tree down and put a bird bath or flowers (in the hollow base) or, if it’s still solid, use it as a flat base for statuary.”
Cochrane, the artist, said he’s created everything from totem poles to a massive sculpture of a Louisville slugger (baseball bat) from a dead tree.
“It’s great to take an old stump that’s worth nothing but firewood and turn it into something that people enjoy looking at,” he said.
In Kamp’s yard, Cochrane turned the dead, leafless oak tree, which also had posed a safety hazard, into a wooden eagle with its wings spread wide and a fish in its beak. The sculpted eagle is landing on a perch. Kamp said the artist has turned the tree into something he continues to enjoy looking at although the tree is dead.
“It’s just awesome to be in your back yard or deck and see this eagle,” he said.
Whatever their shape, trees, Baird acknowledged, are often more than just decorative.
“Trees are like pets. They can be very personal. People have a special attachment to trees,” he said.
“Some people are willing, at all costs, to prolong the life of tree,” he added. “We, as professionals, have to say when a treatment will help prolong the life. But, we also have to let people know when it won’t cure the problem.”
For more information about the care of trees, call the Plant Clinic at Morton Arboretum, 630-719-2424.
