Question
There is a weeping willow over 100 years old on the lot we just purchased. It’s beautiful, but we noticed a big hole in its trunk. Also, the trunk is hollow over quite a distance and the rest seems full of rotting wood. Plus, it’s near our house. Is there any danger that it will fall on our home? How do we save it? We’d like to keep it, especially since our municipality no longer allows the planting of willows.
Lisa,
Neuville. Québec
Answer
I know I’m going to anger some people by saying this, you really should consider having it removed. There are reasons why municipalities have largely banned large willows on their territory and it’s mostly to protect its citizens and their property. I know it seems terrible to lose a tree that old*, but if there’s the slightest danger of the willow falling on your house—or on one of your children, or a neighbor’s child. Well, that’s just not a risk anyone should take.
*I doubt very much that your willow is of as venerable an age as you think, by the way. Humans tend to add years to the age of trees. The weeping willow (Salix?×?sepucralis ‘Chrysocoma’ or similar) grows rapidly, often reaching full height in about ten years or so, but, like many fast-growing trees, doesn’t live very long. Maybe about 30 years on average. A 50-year-old weeping willow would be quite an ancient specimen. Yours is probably dying, which is what nature intended.
Also, remember that willows are very fragile, brittle trees. They constantly lose twigs and sometimes larger branches during wind, snow and ice storms. Also, while most trees can survive just fine with a hollow trunk (read Hollow Tree? No Need to Panic!), willows are a bit of any exception to the rule. Because of the naturally weak structure of the trees in the genus Salix, a decaying willow is more vulnerable to damage than most.
Get Expert Advice on Your Willow
However, since you care a lot about this tree, you might still want to have it examined by a certified arborist. (I insist on the word “certified”: there are still many people who improvise themselves as tree surgeons or arborists without having the necessary qualifications.) It’s often possible to “save” even a tree with severe decay.
Still, I doubt very much that anything can be done for your weeping willow, as this species is not one given to recovering from its wounds. It’s a pioneer tree: one that arrives early in the maturation of a forest, creating a shadier environment for slow-growing, long-lived trees that will follow, then quickly dies out, leaving the forest to the latter.
As for your municipality’s ban on planting of willows, that’s quite common. It helps protect both city property and private property. You should check with your municipality for details. Many prohibit the planting of willows, poplars, or silver maples entirely or within 50 to 65 ft (15 to 20 m) of a residence. This is because of the damage that their long roots are known to cause, but falling branches or trunks are even more of a problem when the tree is very close to a house.