Cedrus Atlantica Glauca

I was wondering if anybody could give me any knowledge of this tree. I have a huge specimen which is over 60 odd years old. It was truly beautiful but over the last few years it has had a few branches break in gales (not unusual) but it has also dropped about 4 enormous branches, probably due to their massive weight. Each branch would be well over 20 ft long and the tree has dropped these at various times of the year. The really odd thing is that it's almost as if the tree prepares to drop the branches as they come clean out of the trunk with a torpedo shaped end leaving a deep cone shaped hole in the trunk. The resulting holes look as though the edges of the hole have already started to heal over. I am a little worried as the tree is quite close to the house and the trunk of the tree has sizeable holes in it (not all the way through) but a good 3/4 of the way if this makes sense. I have no desire whatsoever to fell the tree as while it isn't quite so beautiful as it once was it still remains a wonderful tree. Maybe I need to have some of the very long and extremely heavy branches reduced? but that would spoil the grace of it's sweeping branches.Hope someone has knowledge of what is 1 of my favourite trees.You can just see a couple of the branches of the tree in my "snow"!!! photo. I spent many hours knocking snow off as I feared they'd break with the extra weight but luckily they didn't. Thanks.

 

Cedar doesn't need treating when you cut a branch off - Cedar is used for timber externally without any treatment for the same reason - so the wounds should be OK. However, if they can collect, and hold, water that may lead to rot.

I think it would be worth asking a tree surgeon if they could reduce the "weight" of some of the limbs, and thereby stop them falling off. They could also advise on whether anything needs to be done to the wounds.

Sounds like a lovely tree

 

I'm not qualified to advise but I have a Blue Cedar in my front garden, planted 30 years ago. It was quite big when I stuck it in the ground; now it's an awesome size. Quite a few branches on mine have fallen off but only at times of high winds. Maybe it's just a characteristic of the tree? It's an impressive tree. It always stops visitors in their tracks.

 

Thank you very much Kristen, yes she is an absolute beauty but not looking quite as good as a few years ago. It's so annoying as I am lucky to have other huge, but not so beautiful trees which don't shed branches like this Cedar does and the tree itself is looking perfectly healthy, unlike various of my Cherry trees which are NOT due to being subjected to monsoon conditions here this summer. Evidently many Cherries are in trouble in various parts of the country.
The "wounds" of previous branch drops are showing no signs of decay and the holes left in the trunk which are 12/18 inches in diameter have heeled over at the edges, so looks like this is a natural occurrence...annoying! I will take your advice and see if I can locate a proper tree surgeon ie not your chain saw masacre type!!! I then have to make up my mind whether loosing whole branches is then better than pruning the sweeping branches which adds so much to the beauty of the tree. Wish I was younger, then I'd plant another 1 as the colour/habit and cones are so attractive. I'd be dead by the time another tree got to any decent size! Thanks for you good advice.

 

Plant it anyway, folk will thank you in years to come

I've got a Cherry tree here that has died from drowning this summer :( Thankfully it was not in a good place, but I wouldn't have expected it to snuff it like that. That area of the garden has been underwater for a few days at a time, on several occasions, in the early part of this Summer (in the 7 years we've been here never even seen standing water there before ...)

 

So the information re Cherries was right unfortunately. The Cherry in the picture (ancient) I fear is dead or dying as all it's leaves are brown and many fallen prematurely. I also have dozens of wild cherry in a wee wood which are all but bare of leaves and have been like that for about a month!This incredibly wet late spring and so called summer has caused havoc to our insect population, consequently our visiting Swallow successful breeding numbers are well down plus being surrounded by farmland I don't need to be an expert to see the Barley looks terrible, potatoes likewise and the farmers here are having terrible trouble even getting onto the fields to harvest what is salvageable.I moan about my garden but it isn't my livelihood. Oh yes it's raining atm! Can hardly believe it that winter is looming......

 

Indeed, it should be in the barn by now!