Can this tree be saved?

My Black Walnut friend

In a backyard corner of our family home (now owned by my daughter and her husband) stands a giant black walnut tree. Its estimated height is 60 to 80 feet and it brings to mind the towering elm trees which were prevalent in my childhood, and which we watched disappear one by one with Dutch Elm disease.

Our majestic tree is healthy, providing shade and comfort to our backyard as well as the three adjoining yards of the neighbours. It has been the haven for birds, raccoons and squirrels. Squirrels love to scramble up and down the wide trunk, chasing one another in play or combat.

Every couple of years the walnuts fall from the tree, cluttering the backyard, and providing food for the foraging squirrels, who love to bury some of their stash for the following year. The sound of walnuts falling on the garage roof can be as loud and startling as a gunshot. We’ve never been hit by a falling walnut, but there is always that worry.

A bigger worry however is the risk from falling limbs or branches. In the past we have had branches or limbs fall, with no damage to person or property, and have immediately consulted an arborist to evaluate the tree and trim any limbs which might be a risk. Recently, even though we have done ‘due diligence’ in maintaining the tree, another two branches fell. This has resulted in considerable discussion with the neighbours, and then contacting several arborists for their opinions and estimates in either trimming the tree or removing it altogether.

While consensus is that the tree is healthy, the fact that branches can still fall, despite best efforts to avoid this happening, means that the family are now seriously considering whether the tree must go in the interest of everyone’s safety.

I can’t say how sad this would make me feel. I am sure that there are more than one of us who have felt that a tree is a friend

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